Articles for Mark Scheer

Apr 4

2022

WNY tops the list of most wasteful subsidies

New York state has a long history of squandering huge amounts of taxpayer money on economic development projects that yield little to no returns. A new report highlighting the state’s “Dirtiest Dozen” economic development deals ranked four Western New York projects at the top of the list. The report, developed by the American Economics Liberties Project, a nonprofit organization that advocates for corporate accountability, singled out the subsidy package offered to Plug Power to locate a facility in Genesee County – at a public cost of $4 million per job – as the worst of the worst. “The most expensive[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 30

2022

Conflicting cost estimates to rehab stadium

This story was updated Friday, April 1, at 12:39 p.m. Last November, a consultant working for New York State said it would cost $862 million to renovate the current home of the Buffalo Bills, Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. That number was often cited by team representatives and local and state officials as they advocated for what they said was a more cost-effective alternative: a new $1.4 billion stadium. “Many people believe you can renovate the stadium,” Jim Wilkinson, a spokesperson for Pegula Sports and Entertainment, told the Buffalo News in August. “That’s just not realistic.” Erie County Executive Mark[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 28

2022

Taxpayer hit on Bills stadium tops $1 billion

The fear: A new Bills stadium would cost taxpayers $1 billion. The reality: It’s going to cost even more. The deal announced Monday commits the state to spending $600 million upfront to help cover construction costs. Erie County would put up an additional $250 million. But the subsidies don’t stop there. The state is also on the hook for $100 million over 15 years to cover stadium maintenance and repairs. The county and the state authority created to oversee the stadium would be obligated to kick in $180 million over the 30-year lease for capital improvements. Most, if not all of[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 24

2022

Hochul pressed on subsidy reform

New York doles out more subsidy dollars than almost any state in the nation and one of its more noteworthy programs was marred by corruption. The problems have been evident for years, and especially since Investigative Post exposed bid-rigging in the Buffalo Billion program in 2014 that eventually sent one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top economic development officials, along with a major campaign contributor, to federal prison. So what have state officials done to promote transparency and accountability? Not much, according to a coalition of 18 good government groups whose philosophies span the political spectrum. In a letter earlier this[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 16

2022

Bills stadium plans are an outlier

Most modern NFL stadiums operate as year-round destinations. Their development includes shops, restaurants, bars and the like, or they are built in proximity to existing entertainment venues. While the offerings vary, the goal is the same: provide reasons for people to visit beyond 10 football games a year. The Bills are demanding a $1.4 billion, 62,000-seat, open-air stadium in Orchard Park. Those plans make no mention of ancillary development common at most other stadiums. What’s more, Town of Orchard Park officials told Investigative Post the team has not spoken to them about any related development. The apparent lack of ancillary[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 9

2022

Bill targets federal stadium subsidy

It’s not clear whether the Buffalo Bills will seek federal help to build a $1.4 billion stadium in Orchard Park. But a bill recently proposed by three Democratic members of Congress would prevent the team from getting at least one federal subsidy that several downstate projects have enjoyed. The three Congress members — Jackie Speier, (D-California), Earl Blumenauer, (D-Oregon), and Congressman Don Beyer, (D-Virginia) — last month introduced the No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act of 2022. The bill that would bar major league teams from using tax-exempt municipal bonds to help finance stadium construction. “This issue comes down to[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 4

2022

OTB hires another pricey lobbyist

Western Regional Off-Tracking Betting Corp. has hired another Albany lobbyist, this time with strong connections to one of New York’s most influential politicians — Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. OTB board members agreed last month to a four-month contract that would pay up to $15,000 per month to Patrick Jenkins, a longtime friend and former aide to Heastie, a Bronx Democrat. Jenkins serves as president of the Albany based lobbying firm, Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates. He joins a team of OTB lobbyists that includes former state Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, president of Upstate Strategic Advisors, and Mercury Public Affairs, based in[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Feb 28

2022

State historically not a big funder of stadiums

Many fans and politicians are expecting, even counting on, the state to put up most of the money the Buffalo Bills want from the public to help finance construction of a new stadium. The state has played no such role, however, in the construction or renovation of major league stadiums and arenas in the recent past. The Bills have proposed a $1.4 billion, 60,000 seat stadium in Orchard Park and published reports have suggested the team’s owners want public financing to cover the “vast majority” of the cost. “That’s certainly a step beyond anything else that’s been going on in[...]

Posted 3 years ago