Former Binghamton mayor, Democrat Matt Ryan, says he will challenge Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar in this year’s election.
Akshar is running for a second term as sheriff. He was elected to the position in 2023, after serving as a State Senator for seven years. Before that, he spent over a decade in the Broome County sheriff’s office.
The Republican said since taking office he has improved conditions in the county jail, introduced new programs for incarcerated people and made the sheriff’s office more transparent.
He said voters will see a clear difference between him and his prospective Democratic opponent in the coming months
“I am not an activist,” Akshar said. “I am not a failed politician. I have unabashedly and unapologetically prioritized public safety, prioritized keeping families in this community safe during my tenure as sheriff and we’re going to continue to keep doing that.”
The sheriff signed a 287(g) agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last year. It allows some corrections officers to issue immigration warrants to people in the county jail. Akshar has gotten some criticism for the partnership.
Matt Ryan is one of those critics. Ryan was the Democratic mayor of Binghamton from 2006 to 2013. He is collecting signatures to get on this year’s ballot.
Ryan said as sheriff, he would end all cooperation with ICE. He said sheriffs should be focused on reducing crime and ensuring the jail offers humane conditions for incarcerated people.
“There are many sheriffs now that are starting to embrace a model that will make sure that those who are coming back into our communities have a chance to succeed, have support systems in place,” Ryan said. “And we want to prevent crime in the first place, and the recidivism rates in those counties that are now doing this kind of stuff is much, much lower.”
Ryan ran a last-minute campaign for sheriff in 2018 on the Working Families Party line. This time, he has the support of the Broome County Democratic Committee.
April 2 is the deadline for potential candidates to submit petitions with enough signatures to make them eligible to be on the ballot. The primary election is June 23 and the general election is November 3.
