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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.

May 4

2013

Q&A: Economist Craig Rogers

Craig Rogers is an associate professor of economics at Canisius College. Beyond his academic credentials, he has a wealth of experience in urban economics thanks to his stints with the college’s Center for Entrepreneurship and  the Office of Urban Initiatives. Rogers, 47, is a native of Niagara Falls. He earned undergraduate degrees in economics and business administration from SUNY Brockport. Rogers earned a masters of business administration and doctorate in geography from the University at Buffalo. Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney interviewed Rogers on April 22. A 4 minute, 29 second video clip featuring the highlights of that interview is posted above. The full[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Apr 27

2013

U.S. – Canadian recriminations over Peace Bridge

Peace Bridge General Manager Ron Rienas has become a lightning rod over deeper divisions within the board that manages the Peace Bridge. American board members contend the Canadians are not cooperating with efforts to improve the bridge on the Buffalo side; the Canadians label the charge “absurd.” Jim Heaney reports for WGRZ.

Posted 12 years ago

Apr 25

2013

Demone Smith’s continued defiance

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver are among those who have gone on record in favor of tougher enforcement of election laws and other statutes aimed at promoting ethical conduct on the part of public officials. The catalyst to these calls has been two recent high-profile corruption cases that snared New York City politicians. Not that we needed two indictments to know something is rotten in the Empire State. Look no further than the “D” grade the state received on a risk for public corruption report card issued by the Center for Public Integrity. Nor do[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Apr 19

2013

Q&A: Democratic chief Jeremy Zellner

Jeremy Zellner, elected in September chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party in a contentious race, represents a departure for a party usually led by a grizzled veteran in the vein of Joe Crangle, Jim Sorrentino or Len Lenihan. Zellner, 35, has worked in party headquarters since 2005, including a three year stint as executive director. His “day job,” so to speak, is chief of staff for the Erie County Legislature’s Democratic majority. He is a graduate of Buffalo State College, where he majored in political science, and Niagara County Community College. Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney interviewed Zellner on[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Apr 8

2013

Q&A: Mark Poloncarz

  Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has emerged as a leading critic of local economic development practices. Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney interviewed Poloncarz on April 2, 2013, to discuss his concerns in-depth.  _____________________________________ Heaney: We’re going to do a special focus today on economic development. I’ve been covering economic development in Buffalo for probably 15 years and it’s been a status quo environment. I’ve asked the county executive on it because you’ve really been a voice of reform that I really haven’t heard out of anybody in your position. There’s been some folks that have kind of talked a[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Apr 3

2013

Poloncarz slams “entitlement mentality” among local developers

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz decries “multi-multi-millionaires who feel they are entitled to do a project without paying one red cent in tax.” The expanded interview will air Saturday on WGRZ’s Daybreak. The full interview and transcript will post to this website over the weekend.

Posted 12 years ago

Apr 2

2013

The problem with Albany governing in the dark

As if we needed more evidence that New York’s “Three Men in a Room” way of governing doesn’t work, there is this year’s legislative session. First there was the wham-bam bill to toughen gun control laws. Among other things, it limited magazines to no more than seven rounds of ammunition. Turns out that few such magazines are actually manufactured and sold. O0ps. The mistake was fixed – in more secret deliberations, of course. Then there is the budget passed last week that included two provisions that are looking worse with each passing day, now that they are actually seeing the light[...]

Posted 12 years ago
Investigative Post