Articles for Charlotte Keith

Sep 19

2016

SUNY Poly plays by the rules — or, guidelines

Editor’s note: A version of this story published Sunday in the Times Union of Albany. Two state-affiliated development corporations at the center of a federal corruption probe operated for years without rules commonly used by government agencies to promote competition, discourage favoritism and get the best deal for taxpayers when choosing companies to do business with. As a result, they’ve used unusually loose procurement policies to select developers for multimillion dollar projects, an Investigative Post analysis shows. Some of their contract awards – often to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s major campaign donors – are now being investigated by state and federal[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 1

2016

Urban League lawsuit dismissed

A lawsuit brought by the Buffalo Urban League, which took the unusual step in April of suing Erie County after a scathing audit by the county comptroller, has been dismissed. The audit, which was completed last December, found that the Urban League had over-billed the county by an estimated $40,000, as well as failing to properly train its caseworkers. “This is a clear and decisive victory,” said Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw. “It’s a victory for the independence of the office of the Erie County Comptroller and a victory for taxpayers.” The Urban League had been asking for the audit[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Jul 14

2016

Buffalo Billion program at Daemen struggles

When Sonja Slother enrolled in a fledgling film production program at Daemen College, her enthusiasm was buoyed by the college’s partnership with a company committed to creating more than 100 jobs. The initiative, which was awarded $4.5 million in Buffalo Billion funding, was meant to train a workforce for the visual effects industry Gov. Andrew Cuomo said would take root in Western New York – and, specifically, for the company Daemen had partnered with, Empire Visual Effects. State and college officials touted the training program as a fast track into high-paying jobs. A graphic designer by profession, Slother had recently been[...]

Posted 8 years ago

May 20

2016

Child abuse investigations still lag

  The unit charged with investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect in Erie County is still having a hard time clearing cases on time. While there has been improvement since Investigative Post reported on the unit’s performance last summer, about four in 10 investigations are not completed within the timeframe the state requires. And although caseworkers are assigned fewer cases, the average workload is still higher than the state-recommended maximum. “There has been improvement but we’re still not where we should be,” said Erie County legislator Ted Morton, who is vice chairman of the committee that oversees Child and[...]

Posted 8 years ago

May 10

2016

How to diversify the building trades in Buffalo

  When Minnesota lawmakers agreed to put millions of dollars toward building a new football stadium for the Minnesota Vikings, contractors were told they had to what some thought impossible: ensure that minorities accounted for a third of the construction workforce. Work on the $1.1 billion stadium is wrapping up, and contractors, despite their initial skepticism, have not only met the 32 percent goal but exceeded it, reaching 36 percent minority participation. This kind of ambitious goal-setting has been absent on major projects in the Buffalo area. The minority workforce goal was just 13.2 percent on the $130 million renovations[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Apr 11

2016

Urban League sues over critical audit

The Buffalo Urban League, disgruntled after a critical audit by the Erie County Comptroller, is pressing ahead with legal action against the county. The agency filed an Article 78 petition Friday in State Supreme Court. A court date is set for May 10. Urban League President Brenda McDuffie said the comptroller’s report was “filled with factual and procedural errors” and that had harmed the agency’s reputation. The Urban League is not seeking monetary damages but wants the report to be withdrawn. Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw said he stands by the work of his auditors. He said the Urban League was wasting money on legal[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Mar 29

2016

Buffalo failing to enforce diversity law

  Mayor Byron Brown has done a lot of talking about the need to provide job opportunities for people of color. He’s pushed some 210 businesses and organizations to sign his “Opportunity Pledge” and spoken in favor of apprentice programs that give young workers a foot in the door of the construction trades. The mayor, however, has failed to use a powerful tool at his disposal to promote diversity in the workforce. City Hall under Brown has failed to enforce a law that mandates the employment of apprentices on city-financed capital projects. “They do not enforce it at all,” said[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Mar 9

2016

Urban League still complaining about audit

The   The Buffalo Urban League, recently the subject of a critical report from the Erie County Comptroller, is threatening legal action unless the report and negative public statements are withdrawn, Channel 2’s Dave McKinley reports. The story includes comments from Charlotte Keith of Investigative Post. The audit confirmed previous reporting by Investigative Post that found the Urban League submitted falsified bills, failed to properly train employees or secure confidential records, and retaliated against whistleblowers. Sources have told Investigative Post that the audit findings are being reviewed by Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael Flaherty to determine if there are possible[...]

Posted 8 years ago
Investigative Post

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