Isaac Anzaroot, who owns dozens of properties in Binghamton, contends Mayor Jared Kraham is targeting him for political gain.

Anzaroot appeared in Binghamton City Court on Monday in connection with some of the code violations that he's facing.

According to WIVT/binghamtonhomepage.com, Anzaroot contends there's a conspiracy to drive him out of the Binghamton area.

Kraham has repeatedly criticized Anzaroot, both before and since he became mayor of the city. During his campaign, he described Anzaroot as "Binghamton's most notorious slumlord."

During a live WNBF News interview Tuesday, Anzaroot called that characterization "absolutely ludicrous." He suggested Kraham was "using me as a political ploy to advance his career."

Anzaroot said "the mayor doesn't like the fact that I have a vision." He said that "vision includes building up all of these properties and restoring Binghamton to its glory." He said he acquires blighted properties with the intention of renovating them.

Anzaroot said Kraham "believes I'm an easy target."  He said his name "stirs a lot of publicity and I think that's what he was looking for" by singling him out "as the number one bad guy."

Anzaroot said he began buying properties in the Binghamton area about two decades ago because "I saw a need." He said "a lot of these houses" had not been maintained over the years. He said "I saw an opportunity to buy these properties, fix them up, get them back and house people."

Police arrested Anzaroot at one of his properties - a historic former bank building at 95 Court Street - last July. Binghamton City Court had issued warrants regarding several alleged housing code violations.

In an email to WNBF News Tuesday evening, Mayor Kraham wrote: "We’ll make our arguments in court — however prosecution outside the City of Binghamton seems to contradict much of what he’s saying."

LISTEN: Isaac Anzaroot discussed his Broome County properties and alleged code violations during a WNBF News interview on March 28, 2023.

This story was updated to include a comment from Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

LOOK: 50 songs you won't believe are turning 50 this year

From classic rock anthems to disco hits and everything in between, Stacker surveyed Billboard's Hot 100 list of top songs in 1973 and highlighted the top 50.

LOOK: 50 songs you won't believe are turning 50 this year

From classic rock anthems to disco hits and everything in between, Stacker surveyed Billboard's Hot 100 list of top songs in 1973 and highlighted the top 50.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

More From 98.1 The Hawk