Jun 12
2012
A proposed bill by Common Council Majority Leader Demone Smith would prohibit employers from requiring job seekers to disclose any criminal convictions on their application. Buffalo would stand alone among cities, towns or villages statewide in limiting the ability of private employers to make the inquiry. Employers would, however, be able to obtain the information as the application process moves forward.
Jun 10
2012
Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney interviewed The Rev. Darius Pridgen, Ellicott District Council Member, on the problems of the inner-city and city government. Pridgen in the interview, which aired on WGRZ’s Daybreak Sunday, said: While statistics indicate crime is down, his experience tells him violence remains prevalent, much of it perpetrated by gangs and looser alliances of teens and young adults. The social fabric of much of the East Side is in tatters, due in part to irresponsible parents. He advocates a “Parent’s Court” to hold adults accountable. Despite speculation to the contrary, the Council’s appointment of Chris Scanlon to[...]
Jun 3
2012
Investigative Post Editor Jim Heaney interviewed Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III about the trial of Dr. James Corasanti and a number of other issues. Sedita in the interview, which aired on WGRZ’s Daybreak Sunday, said: He has no regrets about the way his office prosecuted the Corasanti case, which resulted in the doctor’s acquittal on all felony charges related to the death of Alexandria Rice. His office’s track record of obtaining guilty pleas or convictions in 97 percent of felony cases shows the system works. A growing number of felony cases are settled through plea bargaining prior[...]
May 31
2012
Brian Davis’s plea to federal corruption charges Tuesday comes as no surprise. Neither does the Common Council’s appointment of a bartender to fill Mickey Kearn’s vacant seat. Such is the state of the Common Council. Jimmy Griffin used to call them the “Comical Council” back in the day and yes, they used to bicker a lot. But once upon a time, the Common Council had a core of stellar lawmakers—think Gene Fahey, Jim Pitts, and Dave Rutecki, among others, followed in later years by the likes of Brian Higgins and Kevin Helfer—who attempted to deal with serious issues and function[...]
May 27
2012
Investigative Post editor Jim Heaney interviewed Congressman Brian Higgins about a series of issues. Higgins in the interview, which aired on WGRZ’s Daybreak Sunday: Explains his advocacy of developing the Outer Harbor into a park, but in a departure from previous comments, sounds receptive to some commercial development. “There clearly is an opportunity for mixed-use development,” he said. Maintains the construction of a new Peace Bridge plaza will help reduce exhaust that is causing respiratory health problems on the lower West Side and that a scientific study to determine the impacts, if not done already, should be conducted. “There clearly[...]
May 23
2012
The Outer Harbor represents Buffalo’s opportunity to get something big right. And what an opportunity it presents. Lake Erie out front. Downtown out back. Just a few miles from a busy international crossing. Is there another city in the nation that has such a prime piece of undeveloped real estate? There’s a push on to redevelop 120 acres of the Outer Harbor into a park. What’s not to love about a park? Well, in this case, several things, if all that’s developed is a park. Consider: Our winters pretty much assure that a stand-alone waterfront park would go largely unused[...]
May 20
2012
Jim Heaney of Investigative Post interviews Robert Bennett, state Regent for Western New York, on a range of education issues. Bennett in the interview: Takes issue with Phil Rumore’s characterization of the dispute between the Buffalo Teachers Federation and the state Department of Education over teacher evaluations. Bennett said the evaluations are mandated by state law and there is no room for negotiation. He also said union concerns about the impact of low-performing students with high absentee rates on teacher evaluations are overblown and that standardized test scores account for only 2 out of 100 points on the evaluations. Contended[...]
May 17
2012
The New York Board of Elections has slapped a campaign committee controlled by Common Council Majority Leader Demone Smith with another fine for failing to file financial disclosure reports. The most recent fine of $1,121 is at least the seventh assessed against Smith campaign committees. The fines total $4,084 and the committees have yet to pay any of them, including one that dates to March 2008. Smith, in an interview Tuesday, said he is working with the Board of Elections in an effort to reduce the fines. “We’re trying to get them lowered,” he said. However, John Conklin, a spokesman[...]