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.

Jul 15

2025

Another Buffalo cop cited for misconduct

The state attorney general’s office has determined another Buffalo police officer abused his authority through his use of excessive force and other misdeeds. The AG’s office reviewed 14 complaints made against Officer Justin Ayala between October 2021 and August of last year. The findings were based on five incidents, including his punching of a man while held down by other officers, pepper-spraying a handcuffed suspect, and use of vile language on a teen-age girl and her mother. The office of Letitia James also took issue with the department’s investigations into Ayala’s conduct, arguing the department erred in exonerating him in[...]

Posted 3 months ago

Jul 14

2025

Zyglis cartoon: Much ado about nothing

Adam Zyglis has exhibited his work at the Buffalo History Museum since the spring. Early on I attended and found most interesting a display of the hate mail he’s received over the years. Pretty vile stuff from assorted wing-nuts, although nothing that compares to what came out of the woodwork last week when The Buffalo News published a Zyglis cartoon on the flooding in Texas. I’m talking death threats against Zyglis and his wife and children. Over a cartoon. Michael Kracker, chairman of the Erie County Republican Committee, kicked things off with a tweet that characterized the cartoon as “filth[...]

Posted 3 months ago

Jul 7

2025

Killing more innocents than the Holocaust

This is what Hakeem Jeffries, minority leader of Congressional Democrats, said the other day on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives regarding the impact of Donald Trump’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill on the nation’s health: “People will die. Tens of thousands, perhaps year after year after year, as a result of the Republican assault on the healthcare of the American people. I’m sad. I never thought I would be on the House floor saying this is a crime scene.” Tens of thousands of deaths are just the tip of the iceberg. Huge cuts in foreign humanitarian aid made[...]

Posted 4 months ago

Jun 30

2025

Much ado about the mayoral primary in NYC

Nationally, Zohran Mamdani’s upset victory in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor was the electoral story of the week. Five takes: The City covers the election results. Politico shares the thoughts of eight political types about what it all means. New York Focus explores whether state government is likely to go for Mamdani’s agenda. The New York Times and The Intercept weigh in on what lessons the Democratic establishment should take from Mamdani’s victory. Writing for The Times, Rebecca Kirszner Katz, a political consultant who worked on Mamdani’s campaign, lamented “the party establishment’s impulse to stifle and ignore[...]

Posted 4 months ago

Jun 27

2025

Scanlon ends his campaign for Buffalo mayor

Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon during a press conference in his office earlier in his term. Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon, who lost decisively in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, withdrew his candidacy for the November general election Friday afternoon. Scanlon submitted paperwork to the Erie County Board of Elections to decline the nomination of the Good Neighbors Party, which he created in May. His withdrawal all but assures that state Sen. Sean Ryan, who won Tuesday’s primary in convincing fashion, will prevail in November. Two candidates remain on the ballot in addition to Ryan, age 60, who will be running as the[...]

Posted 4 months ago

Jun 26

2025

Buffalo’s mayoral election has been settled

The fat lady has sung. Sean Ryan will become mayor come January 1. The November election is simply a formality, barring any drastic unforeseen circumstance. Prior to the primary, Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon stated his intention to run on a third-party line if he didn’t win the Democratic nomination, although in his concession speech Tuesday night he said he had some “soul searching” to do. The cold, hard fact is that he was only able to garner 35 percent of the vote Tuesday. His strategy, should he continue his campaign into November, is to pull a Jimmy Griffin — supplement[...]

Posted 4 months ago

Jun 23

2025

Troubling transparency issues with local cops

Sandy Tan of The Buffalo News produced an excellent piece on the lack of transparency on the part of many local law enforcement agencies. Ignoring or slow-walking requests made under the Freedom of Information Law. Failing to release information about taxpayer-funded settlements involving public employees. Having a seemingly separate set of rules for dealing with reported criminal behavior when it involves a police officer. Not acknowledging property damage incidents. It is all part of a well-worn playbook now being followed in the case of Daniel “D.J.” Granville, the embattled Erie County Sheriff’s Office narcotics chief who has been on sick[...]

Posted 4 months ago

Jun 16

2025

Buffalo’s race for mayor, by the numbers

Last week, Ken Kruly, author of Politics and Other Stuff, published an insightful analysis of where the votes for mayor are likely to come from in the upcoming primary election for Buffalo mayor. Total turnout will likely be in the range of 30,000 – the average of previous elections. Dividing up the vote five ways may mean that the winning candidate will need 12,000 to 15,000 votes … A solid base of support, buttressed by the financial resources available to get their messages across to the largest number of potential voters, moves both [Chris] Scanlon and [Sean] Ryan to the[...]

Posted 4 months ago