Former Mayor Suggests A New Binghamton “Cost-of-War” Sign

A former Binghamton mayor believes people should know how much the Iran war is costing taxpayers.

Matthew Ryan sparked controversy in 2010 when he was mayor by allowing a sign at City Hall that estimated how much the United States was spending on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

An electronic "Cost-of-War" display was installed on the west side of City Hall in June 2010.

The sign stated: "WE REMEMBER EVERY DAY - The Human Cost of War."

Ryan - who this year is running as a Democratic candidate for Broome County sheriff - said the sign was removed after a couple of months.

The former mayor brought up the 2010 display tabulating the amount of war-related spending during a call to a WNBF Radio talk show this week.

A Broome County peace activist group paid $6,000 for the sign, along with the cost of its installation and removal from City Hall.

Ryan said: "We should have a cost of Trump AND war clock now." He said that's because President Trump is asking Congress for a big increase in spending for the military.

Ryan said he came up with the idea of a "cost-of-war" sign while after attending a meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors.

He said "every mayor - whether they were Republican or Democrat - was talking about how that wars were costing us so much money" that there was "no money to go to cities."

Ryan said the display was not intended to convey disrespect for those who were serving in the military. He said he wanted to encourage a dialogue about spending on defense and for local communities.

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