On Election Day, Binghamton voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot proposal to change the way the city’s Human Rights Commission functions.
The commission was created in 2011 to investigate complaints of discrimination in housing, employment or city services. It has been sitting empty since 2016, when the city council voted to give then-Mayor Rich David control over who sits on the commission. David and the city’s current mayor, Jared Kraham, did not appoint any members to the commission.
Kraham has said discrimination complaints should be handled on the state level, through the Division of Human Rights. He argues issues of human rights are more effectively addressed by elected officials, rather than appointed ones, and the commission could open the city up to legal liability.
“Since its inception, Binghamton's human rights law and commission have been deeply flawed in both legal reasoning and practical operation,” Kraham said in a statement regarding the ballot proposal legislation in July. “For these reasons, and in order to manage risk to the City of Binghamton, the commission has been unfilled and inactive for years under multiple administrations. Again, this has been for the protection of city taxpayers.”
But last week, 75% of voters in Binghamton—where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a more than 2:1 margin—approved a ballot measure that will allow the city council to appoint some members to the commission.
Under the new rules, the council can appoint four members, while the mayor can appoint three. Kraham vetoed the legislation to put the measure on this year’s ballot, but the city council overrode his veto in August.
Democratic Councilman Nate Hotchkiss said the commission could help guide local policy choices and address discrimination, offering residents local support.
“It will be a resource for residents that think their human rights have been violated,” Hotchkiss said. “So they'll be able to turn to this group of people that are knowledgeable about human rights complaints and will be aware of different resources in the community.”
Hotchkiss said having a local human rights commission could take pressure off of the state division and reduce backlog.
“Part of it is to just triage the complaints or the concerns that they're receiving,” Hotchkiss said. “But also you can kind of elevate it to the state, or you can seek out resources through different agencies or organizations locally.”
A recent audit by the state comptroller’s office found that between 2019 and 2023, the state Division of Human Rights struggled to properly investigate dozens of housing discrimination cases, or took too long to look into claims of housing discrimination. In one case, it reportedly took 655 days to serve a complaint against the accused.
The division did not respond to WSKG’s requests for comment regarding its stance on local human rights commissions.
The ballot proposal does not go into effect until January. City council members say they are actively looking for applicants to the commission. Residents interested in applying can visit the city’s website or send their resume to the city clerk’s office by December 17.
