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Binghamton residents sharply divided as council hears hours of public comment on Good Cause Eviction
Summary
Dozens of residents and stakeholders testified for and against a proposed local adoption of New York's Good Cause Eviction rules, with tenants and advocates urging protections and many landlords warning of lost property rights and higher costs; council did not take a final vote on the ordinance at the Dec. 18 meeting.
Dozens of residents packed the Binghamton City Council chamber on Dec. 18 to address proposed local adoption of New York State’s Good Cause Eviction (GCE) protections, offering sharply contrasting accounts of housing insecurity and landlord burdens.
Tenant advocates and renters, including organizer Salka Valerio and resident Dominique Rice, urged the council to opt into the state law, saying it would limit arbitrary evictions, reduce homelessness and stabilize neighborhoods. “Good cause eviction is a simple, fair policy that ensures tenants can't be displaced without a legitimate reason,” Valerio said during her remarks. Dominique Rice, a developer working with the Southern Door Community Land Trust, asked council to pair tenant protections with investment in deeply affordable housing projects.
Landlords and property managers who spoke characterized the measure as harmful to small-business owners and local housing supply. Real estate investor Dave Drew asked council to delay consideration for 120 days to allow stakeholders to analyze the measure and negotiate. “This law removes the landlord’s right to their property and to control it,” Drew said, arguing that the added restrictions would discourage local investment.
Speakers on both sides described concrete experiences in housing court or in their buildings. Masami Kenyuk described observing eviction hearings and said GCE would not affect nonpayment cases but could protect tenants in “holdover’’ evictions. Elaine Bonella recounted an eviction she experienced and urged the council to adopt safeguards for tenants who pay rent yet face harassment.
Organizations that submitted written comments also weighed in. Legal Services of Central New York filed written support, citing eviction harms and the benefits of lease stability. Industry groups including local realtor associations submitted letters raising legal and fiscal concerns about caps on rent increases and impacts on financing.
Council members did not take a final vote on a local GCE measure at the meeting. Instead, council officers and staff said the conversation will continue into future meetings and that several related proposals and requests for information remain outstanding. The council clerk read dozens of emailed comments into the public record and established that public engagement on the topic will continue.
The next procedural step and any vote date were not set during the Dec. 18 meeting; council members said they expect additional briefings and may schedule follow-up sessions or a special business meeting in the new year.
