Jim Heaney

Jim Heaney is editor and executive director of Investigative Post. He was an investigative reporter with The Buffalo News from 1986 to 2011 and a reporter and editor with The Orlando Sentinel from 1980-86. His coverage over the years has focused on economic development, local and state government, politics, education, housing and transportation, and he was an early practitioner of computer-assisted reporting. Heaney has won more than 20 journalism awards and was a finalist for the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting.

Dec 1

2021

Darth Vader is eyeing The Buffalo News

The past decade have been tough times for The Buffalo News. Declining circulation. Smaller profits. Deep cuts in the newsroom staff, resulting in less local news coverage. Things may soon become much more difficult. Alden Global Capital, regarded as the Darth Vader of newspaper chains, has made an offer to buy Lee Enterprises, whose holdings include The News. Alden announced its intentions last week and Lee responded as you would expect to what is clearly a hostile takeover attempt. No matter, the vultures are circling. Chains in general are bad for daily newspapers. Alden is the worst of them. “Every[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Dec 1

2021

iPost sues to obtain Bills stadium studies

Investigative Post filed a lawsuit in state Supreme Court today seeking the release of two studies that are central to negotiations involving a proposed new stadium for the Buffalo Bills. Both studies were commissioned by Pegula Sports and Entertainment, which is affiliated with the Bills, and shared with Empire State Development, the state’s primary economic development agency. One study considered the feasibility of building a new stadium or renovating Highmark Stadium, the cost of doing so, and the possible location of a new venue. The other study evaluated the economic impact of the Bills and other sports and entertainment holdings[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Nov 16

2021

Double your money with a donation to iPost

This is an important time of the year for nonprofits, as it’s when they raise a lot of money that helps sustain and grow their operations. So it is for Investigative Post, as well. Donors who support us can be confident they’ll get a good bang for their buck. While we’re far from the largest news organization, our reporting has great impact. Contributions of up to $1,000 made by the end of the year are matched by a consortium that includes the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, Try-It Distributing and NewsMatch, a collection of national foundations and media companies who[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Nov 13

2021

Envisioning a thriving WNY

Editor’s note: A version of this column appeared in Buffalo Spree. My wife recently told me of an acquaintance who was moving to California. My response: Who would want to move to California? The land of forest fires, droughts and water shortages? The same could be said of much of the West and Southwest. It’s not uninhabitable – yet – but give it another generation and you’re likely to see an out-migration. That represents an opportunity for cities around the Great Lakes, including Buffalo and Western New York. We’ll never run out of water. Massive forest fires? Nah. Ditto for[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Nov 10

2021

Heaney discusses mayor’s race on ‘Pressroom

Jim Heaney fielded questions from David Lombardo, host of The Capitol Pressroom, about the race between Byron Brown and India Walton. Heaney offered an assessment on the strengths and shortcomings of each candidate’s campaign. Give a listen.

Posted 3 years ago

Oct 13

2021

The keys to a successful write-in campaign

Successful write-in campaigns for elected office are few and far between. But candidates occasionally find a way to win, and election experts say there is a formula for success. The keys include name recognition, fundraising capability, concerted voter education campaigns, and strong turn-out-the-vote efforts. Lisa Murkowski used these strategies to retain her U.S. Senate seat in Alaska in 2010. Mike Duggan did likewise when he won the race for mayor of Detroit in 2013. Here in Buffalo, Mayor Byron Brown, waging a write-in campaign against Democratic nominee India Walton, has at least some of those advantages going for him. As[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Sep 28

2021

Dos and don’ts of write-in voting

It’s rare that an incumbent is reduced to running as a write-in candidate, but that’s the position Byron Brown finds himself in. The challenges are many, not just for the candidate, but for voters who want to cast a ballot for him. Writing in a candidate’s name isn’t as difficult as it once was because of changes in the form of Erie County’s ballots. But there are rules to follow, and failure to follow them can invalidate a vote. James Gardner, an election law expert and professor at the University at Buffalo’s law school, said Brown has an uphill climb[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Sep 24

2021

Calls for OTB resignations

Resign. That’s the message Niagara County Democrats are sending to top officials at the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. after State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli this week faulted the organization for deficient oversight, poor leadership and shoddy record-keeping. However, the audits did not address a controversial health insurance benefit OTB provides to certain officials and its board of directors. That’s been referred to the Attorney General’s Taxpayer Protection Bureau. “They ought to take a look and see if there’s criminal activity here,” said Chris Borgatti, chairman of the Niagara County Democratic Committee. “It smells like it.” The audits, released Thursday, confirm[...]

Posted 3 years ago