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.

Apr 1

2013

Q&A: Robert Gioia

Robert Gioia is one of Western New York’s consummate insiders. At present, he holds two key positions, president of the John R. Oishei Foundation, Western New York’s largest philanthropic organization, and chairman of the Erie Harbor Canal Development Corp., responsible for developing Canalside and the Outer Harbor. Gioia’s career has straddled the public and private sector. His family operated the Gioia Macaroni Co. and he was a principal with the Food Group of Strategic Investments and Holdings Inc. from 1992 to 2007. On the government side, he chaired the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority during its construction of the new airport terminal in Cheektowaga[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Apr 1

2013

Heaney talks subsidies on WBFO

Investigative Post editor discusses the state of subsidy deals granted to developers, including Yahoo and the Buffalo Sabres, on his monthly installment of Press Pass.

Posted 12 years ago

Mar 28

2013

Tonawanda Coke: Guilty as charged

In only the second prosecution of its type in the nation, Tonawanda Coke and one of its managers is found guilty on most charges involving the release of toxic pollutants into a neighborhood that is suffering from high cancer rates. A report from WGRZ, including Dan Telvock of Investigative Post.

Posted 12 years ago

Mar 23

2013

Q&A: Mayoral candidate Sergio Rodriguez

Sergio Rodriguez isn’t daunted by the odds of running for mayor as a Republican in a city where Democrats hold a seven-to-one enrollment edge. Rodriguez, 32, is a native of the Dominican Republic. His family moved to the United States when he was 10 and grew up on Long Island. Rodriguez moved to Buffalo a decade ago after a five-year stint in the Marines. He earned an associates degree in business from Medaille College, a bachelors degree in business management from D’Youville College and a masters degree in organizational leadership from Medaille. He ran unsuccessfully in 2007 to represent the[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Mar 22

2013

GOP job offer to Rodriguez a possible felony

Sergio Rodriguez told me in an interview that airs Saturday morning on WGRZ’s Daybreak that unnamed higher ups in local Republican Party circles “strongly encouraged” him to drop his candidacy for mayor. He further asserts that they dangled a job as an enticement. Not so, Erie County Republican Party Chairman Nick Langworthy told WGRZ’s Scott Brown. In fact, he said it’s “silly” to even be discussing the allegations. Believe who you want. I wasn’t in the room and therefore can’t say for sure what transpired. I’ll say this much, however: I found Rodriguez to be a refreshing interview. He strikes me[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Mar 19

2013

Q&A: Stadium entrepreneur George Hasiotis

George Hasiotis is one of Western New York’s most interesting – and plain spoken – economic thinkers. He’s been in the news of late spearheading a proposal to build a multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex on the Outer Harbor that would house the Buffalo Bills. But his economic development credentials go well beyond the stadium proposal. He’s an expert on cross-border trade issues and co-founder of the Economic Club of Canada. He’s worked as a public affairs consultant for 20 years advising clients on international business matters. Locally, he’s an owner of Antoinette’s On The Hill Inc., whose holdings include the popular Antoinette’s Sweets[...]

Posted 12 years ago

Feb 28

2013

“I don’t need to tell you …”

Ron Rienas, general manager of the Public Bridge Authority, tells Jim Heaney of Investigative Post why he won’t talk about his salary or perks or release other payroll records or a detailed budget that spells out what the authority does with the $33 million it takes in annually.

Posted 12 years ago

Feb 27

2013

Stonewalling at the Peace Bridge

Editor’s note: The story below provides the full details, but to get the full effect, readers should view the television version posted above and, especially, the video of the complete unedited interview with Peace Bridge General Manager Ron Rienas posted below. New York’s labyrinth of authorities are widely decried as shadow governments that shield their activities from public scrutiny. But they are a model of transparency compared to the Public Bridge Authority that operates the Peace Bridge connecting Buffalo and Fort Erie, Investigative Post has found. Authorities and other governmental bodies on both sides of the border are obligated to[...]

Posted 12 years ago