BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – Binghamton City Councilman Joe Burns says he’s not running for a second term because of his family, but not because he needs to spend more time with them.

The Democrat tells NewsChannel 34 that he declined the nomination last Friday after his petitions had been submitted because he wants to protect his family from lies and half-truths that have been said about him in previous campaigns.

Burns says that when he ran for Council 4 years ago and unsuccessfully for mayor in 2021, the local Republican party sent out mailers lying about his record.

Burns says they accused him of wanting to defund the police when he’s always voted in favor of law enforcement funding.

And he says they mischaracterized a dispute he had 20 years ago with the IRS, one that was ultimately settled in his favor.

Broome County Republican Committee Chair Benji Federman chose not to comment on Burns’s accusations.

Last night, a vacancy committee selected Hadassah Mativetsky to take Burns’s position on the ballot.

Mativetsky is a Business Development Manager and Quality Engineer with RL Quality Management Systems.

Republicans have nominated Mario Lisi, Director of Facilities at Binghamton City School District.