Residents press Scranton council on data breach, ICE cooperation, homelessness and storm response

During the public-comment period at the Scranton City Council meeting, residents raised multiple concerns that the council members said they would follow up on.

Randy Davis asked the council to accept copies of letters he received from the Social Security Administration linking his account to alleged unauthorized identity records tied to a 2023 breach involving Fortress LLC and CHSPC; he said his SSI benefits were frozen and urged the city to help resolve the administrative problem so his federal benefits can be restored. “I have an incident that happened in 2023… I have letters from Social Security saying I have more income than my SSI provides,” Davis said while offering documents for the council’s review.

Students from the University of Scranton and other residents asked for clarity on cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a county commissioner publicly discussed limiting local cooperation. A student speaker asked whether the mayor would commit the city to cooperate with federal law enforcement in cases involving public-safety risks and whether any local policies limit such cooperation.

Longtime resident Lisa August proposed creating a single facility that would combine housing, behavioral-health and substance-use services and vocational training to interrupt chronic homelessness; she said CRS workers are drawing up a plan and asked the city to help identify empty buildings and grant resources.

Multiple speakers and councilmembers raised concerns about the administration’s handling of a recent storm. Councilmember Sean McCandrew asked for a written post-storm after-action report to be made public, saying the administration’s offer to discuss details in an executive session was insufficient for transparency. “I would like an answer, a physical document of the post storm report,” he said.

Other public comments flagged local infrastructure problems — including a 135‑year‑old water main failure on Ash Street, subsiding storm drains on Dorothy Street, and a blocked lane at Green Ridge Street after a bridge project — and called for follow-up from DPW. Councilors repeatedly committed to following up with department directors and agencies and to forwarding documents or inquiries when residents provided them.