VESTAL, NY (WSKG) — As his eight years in office draw to a close, Binghamton Mayor Rich David set final goals ahead of Jared Kraham assuming the position on Jan. 1.
David said he wants to finish laying the groundwork for several remaining capital projects and prepare an efficient transition to Kraham’s administration.
The major projects David wants to make progress on before the end of the year are the Water Street parking garage and apartment complex, the Columbus Park community center and the new fire station. He said he wants to see Kraham’s administration on firm footing to continue managing the projects, some of which may take years to complete.
"I mean, there's a long list of, I mean I could go on and on, but the major capital projects are things that the next mayor will need to bring to fruition. We got them off the drawing board and broke ground," David said speaking to reporters Wednesday.
David spoke alongside Kraham who defeated councilman Joseph Burns in Tuesday’s election.
The mayor said he met with senior city hall staff Wednesday morning to lay out plans for the transition, which includes each department drafting a status report on their needs. Kraham said he intends to make those reports publicly available.
"I think that they were made public in the past, absolutely would be a document, yep, that would be open to the public,” Kraham said.
The transition comes as several city departments have vacancies or are currently led by individuals looking to retire in the near future. David pointed to the city’s corporation counsel, engineering and property assessment departments as such examples. Kraham acknowledged those offices may need new appointments, but didn’t go into much detail.
"Those are just some of them and obviously, a new mayor comes in and has the ability to make at-will appointments. So, that's something I have to sit down with personnel and figure out the exact details of,” Kraham said.
Kraham did indicate that he will appoint an executive assistant to the mayor, or deputy mayor, which is the position he currently holds.
David announced a 2022 bid for state senate earlier this this year and said he intends to dedicate his time fully toward campaigning next year.
"I have planned and prepared for that for quite some time to make sure that my financial affairs are in order,” David said. “I've sold actually a lot of my properties in Binghamton, not all of them, but most of them actually."
David also currently serves as president of the New York Conference of Mayors. Last month he was also picked to serve on a search committee for a lieutenant governor candidate to run alongside Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-01).