The Binghamton City Council is calling for an independent investigation of the Binghamton Housing Authority (BHA), amid continued conflict between the council, the housing authority, and some employees and tenants.
Serious disagreements between the Binghamton City Council and the housing authority began in 2025, when tenants started complaining to their council representatives about housing conditions, rent increases, and safety concerns.
This August, BHA employees raised several issues as reasons they want to join the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) union.
On Wednesday, the Binghamton City Council emailed a letter to the BHA board calling for a third-party investigation of the housing authority’s operations and management because of what it called “a failure on the part of Binghamton Housing Authority Board members to address persistent allegations of executive mismanagement and unsafe living conditions.”
The letter accuses the BHA board and its executive director Jean Westcott of a number of violations of New York’s labor and privacy laws. They include requiring staff to attend mandatory meetings outside their work shifts without pay and using an internal camera system to listen to employees' private conversations while at work.
The letter also accused Westcott of trying to circumvent New York’s Open Meetings Law by holding meetings with the board outside publicly announced meeting times.
Westcott did not respond to a WSKG request for comment about these allegations.
The city council unanimously passed a resolution in support of BHA workers unionizing at its September 30 meeting.
Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham wrote in a statement to WSKG “I have worked with CSEA over many years. They are a straightforward, good-faith union who will serve employees well. I urge the Board to meet and work with them to recognize the organizing effort, which has overwhelming support from the BHA workforce.”
WSKG asked Westcott about her and the board’s position on workers unionization. She wrote, “Binghamton Housing Authority is working with attorneys and will work through the legal processes necessary to determine whether a union is appropriate. Because this is a legal process we will have no further comments.”
A workplace becomes unionized through several steps, beginning with workers coming together, workers voting in favor of unionization and then negotiating with the employer on demands and a contract.
The conflict between the city council and the BHA comes as the housing authority is seeking the council’s approval of a 40-year Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement for the rehabilitation of the Saratoga Terrace complex. The development would upgrade over 160 units.
On Tuesday, the BHA board chair Charles Kramer sent a statement to the press accusing the city council of withholding approval of the PILOT until the board recognizes the employee unionization efforts.
The council says their support of unionizing efforts is not linked to the PILOT agreement.