News

2010-03-01 -- Schoetz Elected Chairman of the Peace Bridge Authority; Two New Members Appointed

(Buffalo, NY/Fort Erie, ON) – Ken Schoetz has been elected Chairman of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority.

Mr. Schoetz is a Senior Vice President in Buffalo, NY with the Empire State Development Corporation. Prior to his current responsibilities he was the head of the State Attorney General’s Buffalo office and before that was the Erie County Attorney.

Mr. Anthony Annunziata was elected Vice Chairman. He is the Vice President of Marketing for the Hilton Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Two new members have also been appointed to the Authority Board. Mr. Rocco Vacca was appointed to a 3-year term by Canada’s Transport Minister. Mr. Vacca is a Senior Partner with the law firm of Sullivan and Mahoney located in Niagara Falls, and St. Catharines, Ontario.

Mr. James Eagan was appointed as the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) representative on the Peace Bridge Board by Acting Chairman Henry Sloma. Mr. Eagan is a Commissioner on the NFTA and is Executive Vice President of Midwood Financial Services, a distributor of financial products and services to banks, regional brokerage firms, and independent broker dealers. Mr. Eagan’s term is an at will appointment.

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority, a binational bridge authority, has owned and operated the Peace Bridge since 1933. The bridge, which was opened to traffic in 1927, spans the Niagara River between Fort Erie, Ontario, and Buffalo, New York, and is a key international border crossing. The Authority is governed by a 10 member board with an equal number of representatives from Canada and the United States. As an international compact and in accordance with its enabling legislation, the chairmanship alternates annually between Canada and the United States.