Shredded papers, overdrawn accounts

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Shredded papers, overdrawn accounts

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Posted by wtg on March 22, 2004 at 09:05:04:

In Reply to: Housing boss is barred from Jersey City office posted by JCHA brass seeing HUD in Newark today on March 19, 2004 at 10:47:00:

Shredded papers, overdrawn accounts

Monday, March 22, 2004

There are many questions swirling around the recent drama at the Jersey City Housing Authority, but one of the biggest is just what was in at least four bags that were reportedly delivered to the office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during its meeting in Newark on Friday.

Sources said the bags were full of shredded documents - raising even more questions.

Friday's meeting, ostensibly, was held to decide the JCHA's next move after its executive director, E. Troy Washington, was placed on suspension.

The meeting was held at the HUD's office because that federal agency provides virtually all the funding for municipal housing authorities across the country.

Washington set off alarm bells almost as soon as he reported to work in January when he fired two long-term employees immediately after he was hired. But one little-known action also taken by Washington was the purchase of a $4,000 "super shredder" which was installed near his office.

No one is saying, officially, what's expected to be found in the bags hauled out of JCHA headquarters.

For weeks before Washington was ousted, employees were complaining about, for want of a better term, the executive director's management style.

Obviously, from a list of new directives the JCHA board has issued, some of the board commissioners were also miffed about Washington's style. The rules Washington had in place aren't available to the media, but the new ones are certainly intriguing:

One directive declares that JCHA personnel and staff are now free to "communicate directly" with the agency's commissioners and counsel, and further promises that no disciplinary action will be taken against any employees who do so.

Another restores all employees to the positions and job sites they had before Washington's arrival.

A directive specifically instructed Washington that he must "immediately cease any further renovation of the agency" headquarters."

And a directive ordered the immediate removal of a surveillance camera recently installed on the first floor of the headquarters.

This reporter happened to be present for the removal of that camera - it was completely invisible to anyone not knowing it was there, because it was hidden inside a smoke detector.

And there is the matter of a $200,000 payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOTS) check the JCHA presented to the city several weeks ago. The check was issued to cover funds the city is supposed to receive instead of tax payments for public housing sites built on city-owned land.

Questions about Washington's tenure, in Jersey City and Hoboken, had put him in a not-too-friendly spotlight, and City Hall was looking for a way to make the JCHA's executive director look like a good choice. So Washington presented the check to Jersey City Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham at a photo op staged for the media.

But during the last JCHA meeting, it was reported that there was only $59,000 in the authority's account to pay PILOTS, so the board voted to approve paying $15,000 to the city from that account for two of its housing sites.

There was no mention of the $200,000.

In addition, it was reported that the account to pay legal expenses was overdrawn by $170,000 and the administration was looking at other areas of the budget for cutbacks to cover the shortfall until HUD approved its new proposed $58 million budget.

Meanwhile, HUD also is taking a look at events at the Hoboken Housing Authority - which was run by Washington before he came to Jersey City - and is believed to be running a deficit of $3.6 million with the discovery of several unpaid bills dating back to Washington's tenure.

In a related development, the JCHA has called for an emergency meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. at its headquarters in Marion Gardens, 400 U.S. Highway 1&9, Board Chairman Arthur Williams said yesterday.

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: Shredded papers, overdrawn accounts

: Monday, March 22, 2004

: There are many questions swirling around the recent drama at the Jersey City Housing Authority, but one of the biggest is just what was in at least four bags that were reportedly delivered to the office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during its meeting in Newark on Friday.

: Sources said the bags were full of shredded documents - raising even more questions.
:
: Friday's meeting, ostensibly, was held to decide the JCHA's next move after its executive director, E. Troy Washington, was placed on suspension.

: The meeting was held at the HUD's office because that federal agency provides virtually all the funding for municipal housing authorities across the country.

: Washington set off alarm bells almost as soon as he reported to work in January when he fired two long-term employees immediately after he was hired. But one little-known action also taken by Washington was the purchase of a $4,000 "super shredder" which was installed near his office.

: No one is saying, officially, what's expected to be found in the bags hauled out of JCHA headquarters.

: For weeks before Washington was ousted, employees were complaining about, for want of a better term, the executive director's management style.

: Obviously, from a list of new directives the JCHA board has issued, some of the board commissioners were also miffed about Washington's style. The rules Washington had in place aren't available to the media, but the new ones are certainly intriguing:

: One directive declares that JCHA personnel and staff are now free to "communicate directly" with the agency's commissioners and counsel, and further promises that no disciplinary action will be taken against any employees who do so.

:
: Another restores all employees to the positions and job sites they had before Washington's arrival.

: A directive specifically instructed Washington that he must "immediately cease any further renovation of the agency" headquarters."

: And a directive ordered the immediate removal of a surveillance camera recently installed on the first floor of the headquarters.

: This reporter happened to be present for the removal of that camera - it was completely invisible to anyone not knowing it was there, because it was hidden inside a smoke detector.

: And there is the matter of a $200,000 payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOTS) check the JCHA presented to the city several weeks ago. The check was issued to cover funds the city is supposed to receive instead of tax payments for public housing sites built on city-owned land.

: Questions about Washington's tenure, in Jersey City and Hoboken, had put him in a not-too-friendly spotlight, and City Hall was looking for a way to make the JCHA's executive director look like a good choice. So Washington presented the check to Jersey City Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham at a photo op staged for the media.

: But during the last JCHA meeting, it was reported that there was only $59,000 in the authority's account to pay PILOTS, so the board voted to approve paying $15,000 to the city from that account for two of its housing sites.

: There was no mention of the $200,000.

: In addition, it was reported that the account to pay legal expenses was overdrawn by $170,000 and the administration was looking at other areas of the budget for cutbacks to cover the shortfall until HUD approved its new proposed $58 million budget.

: Meanwhile, HUD also is taking a look at events at the Hoboken Housing Authority - which was run by Washington before he came to Jersey City - and is believed to be running a deficit of $3.6 million with the discovery of several unpaid bills dating back to Washington's tenure.

: In a related development, the JCHA has called for an emergency meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. at its headquarters in Marion Gardens, 400 U.S. Highway 1&9, Board Chairman Arthur Williams said yesterday.

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