Binghamton Councilman Urged to Step Aside

Some members of Binghamton City Council are going public with a call for one of their members to step aside as authorities look into a voicemail message left on the phone of a contractor involved in the debate over a Project Labor Agreement for work on the Binghamton/Johnson City Joint Sewage Treatment Plant.

The content of the voicemail from Councilman Bill Berg was recently made public in the Binghamton Press and Sun Bulletin and immediately drew the attention of everyone from Binghamton Mayor Richard David to the New York State Attorney General, Broome County District Attorney and the FBI.

Now, Council Members Giovanni Scaringi, Joseph Mihalko, Chris Papastrat and John Matzo are urging Berg to step aside from his work on Council and not engage in any official government duties until investigations are complete.  Mayor Richard David has also called on Berg to temporarily step aside.

In the voicemail message, Berg reportedly tells the contractor he would like to support the PLA. But he also references an opportunity for the contractor to be involved in his reelection campaign.

The statement from the Council Members January 27 mentions that under the City of Binghamton Charter, there are no established powers that would allow City Council to remove a member or limit their participation in government operations.

Berg, for his part, has told WNBF that he has done nothing wrong and has no intentions of stepping aside.