Anthony Borrelli

aborrelli@pressconnects.com | @PSBABorrelli

Broome County Legislator Anthony Fiala was charged Thursday with driving drunk, hitting a bicyclist with his vehicle in Binghamton, and then leaving the accident scene.

At 12:08 a.m., Binghamton police responded to a hit and run accident involving a bicyclist at Clinton and Oak streets in the city. Fiala, 49, allegedly struck the bicyclist and left the scene, police said. The bicyclist received minor injuries and refused medical treatment.

Officers found Fiala at his residence on Stanley Street in Binghamton and arrested him, police said. He was charged at 1:47 a.m. on a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated.

Following the arrest, police said, Fiala was issued an Oct. 9 appearance ticket in Binghamton City Court. He did not return calls for comment.

Fiala, a Democrat, represents the 13th legislative district that includes parts of Binghamton's First Ward and the West Side.

A former Binghamton City Council member and past chairman of the Broome County Democratic Party, Fiala was elected to the county legislature in 2012. He is running for a second term in the legislature against Republican Karl Bernhardsen, of Binghamton.

Fiala is a member of the Broome County Legislature's Public Safety & Emergency Services Committee, which is responsible for oversight of public safety and emergency services including the District Attorney's Office, Public Defender, Emergency Services, Probation Department, STOP-DWI, and Sheriff's Office.

His mother, former Broome County Executive Barbara Fiala, a Democrat, is the commissioner of the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

In light of the DWI charge, Broome County officials on Thursday said they will wait for the legal process to unfold.

"We're very, very thankful that nobody was hurt, and at this point, we're going to leave it up to the authorities to see what happens next," said the legislature's Democratic Minority Leader Jason Garnar, D-District 14.

Legislature Chairman Jerry Marinich, R-District 10, called it an "unfortunate situation.

"Wherever it ends up, I wish everybody well and nobody gets hurt at the end," he said.

Follow Anthony Borrelli on Twitter @PSBABorrelli. Staff writer Jon Harris and Investigative Editor Steve Reilly contributed to this report.