Feb 3
2016
After an audit by the Erie County Comptroller’s office bore out whistleblowers’ claims of inflated billing and inadequate training, Urban League President Brenda McDuffie and her supporters say it’s a political witch hunt. But there’s little evidence for that, says Jim Heaney in a Quick Hit in The Public.
Jan 29
2016
There were two noteworthy developments Thursday regarding findings by Investigative Post and the Erie County Comptroller about inappropriate actions taken by the Buffalo Urban League, including the submission of inflated bills and retaliation against whistleblowers. A highly placed county source told Investigative Post that the staff of Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael Flaherty has been meeting with the comptroller’s office to review its audit findings. The source said no decision has been made as to whether to launch a criminal investigation. Meanwhile, the Erie County Legislature held a public hearing on the comptroller’s audit. Democratic legislators, joined by County[...]
Jan 14
2016
Buffalo is not immune to the social problems that have produced conflict in Ferguson, Baltimore and other urban centers, two prominent African American leaders said Wednesday at a luncheon hosted by Investigative Post. “Can there be a Ferguson or a Baltimore in Buffalo? Absolutely,” said Rev. Darius Pridgen, pastor of True Bethel Baptist Church and president of the Buffalo Common Council. Dr. Henry L. Taylor, a professor and founding director of the Center for Urban Studies at the University at Buffalo, called for the creation of a development fund for the East Side whose participants would include government, business, nonprofits[...]
Dec 9
2015
An audit by the Erie County Comptroller has confirmed allegations leveled a year ago by social workers at the Buffalo Urban League that their employer charged the county tens of thousands of dollars for work never performed. Among the abuses: bills claiming some employees worked as many as 170 hours in a single day. The audit also found the Urban League tried to stonewall investigators and retaliated against the whistleblowers who brought the problems to the comptroller’s attention. All eight have now left the agency – either fired or effectively forced out of their jobs. The Department of Social Services,[...]
Dec 8
2015
State and city officials have failed to follow through on promises made over a year ago to clean up operations of a construction and demolition debris facility that’s the subject of a decade-long dustup with neighbors. As a result, Seneca-Babcock residents said they endured yet another summer of dust, noise and diesel truck fumes from Battaglia Demolition’s operation off Seneca Street. Battaglia Demolition collects concrete, bricks and other construction and demolition debris. The facility also crushes concrete and brick, which residents say stirs up clouds of dust that settle on their properties. In addition, up to 200 trucks a day[...]
Dec 2
2015
Has Buffalo really gotten its mojo back? That was the question posed by Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney during a panel discussion Tuesday at Allen Street Hardware attended by an overflow crowd of 80 people. The panelists were Newell Nussbaumer, editorial director of Buffalo Rising, Rocco Termini, president of Signature Development, and Henry Taylor, professor and founding director of the Center for Urban Studies at the University at Buffalo. They did agree that the Queen City has made strides, but most of its work still lies ahead, and not everybody is sharing in the recovery. Much of the night’s discussion[...]
Nov 4
2015
Buffalo Superintendent Kriner Cash said Wednesday he intends to be “very aggressive” pursuing reforms in Buffalo schools and indicated he’s prepared to place underperforming schools in receivership if he can’t bargain contract changes with the Buffalo Teachers Federation. Cash, on the job since the end of August, made the remarks during an interview with Jim Heaney during a luncheon at Osteria 166 sponsored by Investigative Post. Cash opened his remarks by both praising the city and saying he has found it parochial and resistant to change. He went on to outline an extensive, potentially exhausting agenda that he said needs[...]
Nov 2
2015
Cheektowaga officials and the state have finally agreed on how the town will begin to address its sewer overflows. The problem is, it took seven years to end the dispute. Investigative Post reported the state Department of Environmental Conservation last month had rejected the town’s sewer plan for the second time in five years. DEC officials said the town was not taking enough steps to reduce problems on private property, such as roof downspouts and sump pumps connected to the sewer system. These connections are prohibited by town ordinance because they can flood the sewer system with rain water and cause[...]