Categories for DailyPost

Mar 15

2022

Brown cited for election law violations

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Last August, Peter Rizzo sent the state elections board a detailed analysis alleging Mayor Byron Brown had violated a number of campaign finance laws. First, Rizzo wrote, the mayor’s campaign failed to identify the individual owners of limited liability corporations, as required by state law. Rizzo identified “more than 100 campaign contributions from limited liability companies during the current election cycle” which were improperly documented. Second, Rizzo said, the mayor’s campaign accepted more money from several individuals and corporations than the law allowed.  These over-contributions were in some cases obfuscated by other filing failures and violations, Rizzo wrote. His complaint[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 14

2022

A step backwards on police accountability

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Last summer, the state Legislature peeled away exemptions to the state’s Freedom of Information Law that made it difficult for the public to obtain video recorded on officers’ body cameras and related evidence. Awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature now — during “Sunshine Week” — is a bill making “technical corrections” to that measure.  In fact, transparency advocates say, the bill on Hochul’s desk will eviscerate it.  “This is a disaster for holding police accountable and for New York State’s Freedom of Information Law,” lawyer-journalist James S. Henry of Sag Harbor, one of the backers of the 2021 police accountability law,[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 10

2022

More OTB reforms in state legislature

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Another state lawmaker wants to cut the perks for Off-Track Betting officials in Western New York. Assemblywoman Monica Wallace, D-Lancaster, has introduced legislation that would stop any OTB board member from receiving any benefits, including health insurance, not authorized under state law. Her bill would also require regional OTB offices to file annual reports with the state gaming commission that itemize the purchase and use of any promotional item — including sporting event or concert tickets — valued at more than $50. While the measures would cover all five regional OTB operations in New York, they are clearly targeted to[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 9

2022

Bill targets federal stadium subsidy

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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 8

2022

Who is Congresswoman Claudia Tenney?

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Redistricting will make U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney’s 22nd District more friendly to a Democratic Party challenger. So the Utica native — who won squeakers in 2016 and 2020, and lost to Democrat Anthony Brindisi in 2018 — is looking west. Tenney, 61, will run this year in the 23rd District, currently represented by Republican Tom Reed, who is retiring after being accused of sexual misconduct. The 22nd District Tenney represents now runs through the middle of the state, from the eastern end of Lake Ontario to the Pennsylvania border, including Utica, Rome, Cortland and Binghamton. The new 23rd District, like[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 6

2022

Monday Morning Read

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Editor’s note: This post is pulled from WeeklyPost, an email newsletter written by Jim Heaney and published Sunday mornings. It recaps our coverage of the previous week and highlights other local, state and national stories that Heaney finds of interest, along with a bit of commentary. If you don’t already subscribe — for free — you can do so at this link.  A story broke late last week that said the Bills stadium deal being struck is going to cost taxpayers over $1 billion. According to Sports Business Journal, taxpayers would cover $850 million of the project’s $1.4 billion price tag,[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 4

2022

iPost sues over suppressed stadium records

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Investigative Post filed a lawsuit Monday in state Supreme Court seeking the release of an engineering report that assessed the condition of Highmark Stadium. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and Pegula Sports and Entertainment have asserted the stadium is in need of replacement. But the county, which commissioned an engineering study completed in 2021, has refused to provide details. The study, conducted by the engineering firm DiDonato Associates, identified problems with the upper deck and water and electrical systems while concluding that the 50-year-old stadium “remains in overall fair to good condition.”  Investigative Post requested a copy of the report[...]

Posted 3 years ago

Mar 4

2022

OTB hires another pricey lobbyist

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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
Investigative Post