The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) has undergone a makeover since former Executive Director E. Troy Washington was terminated from his contract March 31.
Two new commissioners, former Assemblywoman Elba Perez-Cinciarelli and City Deputy Mayor Ed Cheatam, have been appointed to the JCHA board, with Perez-Cinciarelli serving as chairperson. Many former employees who had been hired by Washington have been fired, but are now seeking a remedy in court.
Washington is currently seeking either his reinstatement and/or compensation regarding his termination. He has requested an internal hearing with the Housing Authority. But the major news this week is that there is a new executive director at the JCHA.
Former Deputy Executive Director Maria Maio was appointed to the position over five other candidates after an interview session behind closed doors before last week’s commissioners meeting.Former staff sues
The Troy Washington saga began in January when he left his position heading Hoboken’s housing authority to come work in Jersey City. Housing authorities oversee the federally-funded low-income housing projects in each city.
While Washington was settling into his new post, problems left in Hoboken began to come to light. A new interim director in Hoboken said that the agency had a major budget deficit. It was also discovered that the waiting list for Section 8 low-income housing vouchers was filled with Jersey City residents and no Hoboken residents, despite Hoboken’s housing crunch.
For some time, Washington did not respond to the allegations in the press. Things got worse for him in Jersey City when critics complained that he went on vacation without leaving anyone in charge, and that he bought thousands of dollars in new furniture for his office. He also brought a slew of Hoboken Housing Authority staffers to his new post.
Washington was terminated in March, and so were those staffers.
Last week, his lawyer, David Ben-Asher, said he is in talks with the JCHA to schedule an internal hearing to discuss the matter of Washington’s legal action. Ben-Asher said that he has not heard from the JCHA on a scheduled date for the internal hearing.
According to Ben-Asher, if Washington prevails in any legal action, he could potentially be reinstated in the executive director’s position and receive back pay for time missed. Ben-Asher did not offer any further comment regarding Washington.
Washington was reached by telephone for a brief conversation last week on his status since his termination.
He said that he was still pursuing his studies to become a lawyer at Rutgers-Newark. In the past, the housing authorities for whom he worked had paid for his classes.
Washington did not make any further comment, but offered to be available for a follow-up call. As of press time, he had not returned a few follow-up calls.
Former employees file suit
Meanwhile, Harriet Miller, a Jersey City-based attorney, filed a 10-page complaint in June on behalf of 10 former employees who were fired by the JCHA in March.
The complaint, filed with the State Superior Court in Jersey City on June 9, charges that the employees were wrongfully dismissed from their positions and have suffered emotional and financial distress as a result of their dismissals.
Named as the defendants in the complaint are the JCHA and Arthur J. Williams, who until last month was the chairperson for the commissioners’ board and is still a commissioner.
In the complaint, it says that the employees had been hired between Dec. 15, 2003 and Feb. 26, 2004. Then it states that “on or about March 18, 2004, Defendant Williams sent letters advising plaintiffs that they were summarily terminated from JCHA’s employ, charging plaintiffs with violating the policies of JCHA by not complying with its ‘pre-employment’ processes.”
It was claimed by the JCHA that some employees were discharged as a result of failing to comply with drug testing and police background checks, among other JCHA requirements.
But the lawsuit puts the blame on the JCHA, saying, “Defendants prevented Plaintiffs from obtaining police background checks, medical examinations, and drug testing because Defendant JCHA intentionally and with malice refused to process Plaintiffs’ police background check authorizations and Defendants intentionally and with malice refused to arrange medical examinations and drug testing for the Plaintiffs.”
Six of ten employees are residents of Jersey City. Among them is Alvin Sims, the former director of security who had served in the same position in Hoboken.
Terry Ridley, the general counsel for the JCHA, confirmed before last week’s commissioners meeting that there has been no date set on Washington’s internal hearing. Ridley also said that the purpose of the hearing is to determine whether to reinstate Washington, but the commissioners could reject the decision, which would set up a potential lawsuit against the JCHA.
Look who’s in charge now
The Housing Authority met last week at its headquarters on Route 440, the first in two months. It started off with a closed caucus to conduct an interview for the position of executive director.
The interviews lasted approximately two and one-half hours, with six candidates being interviewed by the Board of Commissioners.
Some the candidates included current Housing Authority Acting Executive Director Sandra Robertson, former JCHA Director of Management Information Maynard Banks, and Maio. Maio’s name had been especially prominent in the weeks leading up to the board meeting, as sources inside the Housing Authority were sure that Maio would be chosen as the next executive director. Also, a flyer was circulated among tenants of the various Jersey City housing complexes expressing their displeasure over Maio being considered for the executive director position.
Entitled “Maria Maio is trying to come back to the Jersey City Housing Authority,” cited on the flyer were seven points in opposition to her returning to the housing agency where she had employed for over 20 years. Most recently, Maio was the confidential aide to the acting executive director of the Hoboken Housing Authority, Robert DiVincent. The points include her involvement in the eviction of housing complex tenants through the HUD One-Strike Policy (tenants are evicted if they or any person on their lease is found in possession of drugs by police), alleged conflict of interest on contracts, and her opposition to the purchase of tickets for an annual Christmas party.
The interviews were done only in the presence of the commissioners. The JCHA’s attorneys were requested by recently-elected Board Chairperson Elba Perez Cinciarelli to not take part in the interviewing session and were asked to leave the room.
Before the interviews, Board Commissioner Sheila Mosby was seen walking out and questioning why the lawyers couldn’t be present.
When asked if the lawyers being sent out the room was an illegal move, general counsel for the JCHA Terry Ridley said that it was the board’s decision to make.
“It is the board’s discretion if they do not want lawyers in the interview process,” said Ridley. “They have a court reporter in the room and it is being tape recorded.”
Some of the other attendees were not as kind about what was taking place. Some who did not want to be named said the interview was just procedural, as the choice of Maio as the executive director was already a fait accompli.
Some speculated that if Washington were to somehow win a legal decision in a case against the JCHA, he would be compensated and Maio would be receiving a salary, thus creating financial problems for the JCHA.
Complaining about choice
One attendee who voiced his opposition publicly was Kabili Tayari, the head of the Jersey City branch of the NAACP. He wondered how Maio, to whom the tenants are opposed, could potentially be chosen over someone such as Sandra Robertson who he says has the support of many public housing tenants. “How can [the commissioners] disrespect someone who has been here for 20 years, whom the tenants wanted to lead them?” said Tayari of Robertson. (Maio and Robertson have both worked for the Housing Authority for approximately 20 years.)
After the interview ended, Cinciarelli made the announcement that Maio was selected as the new executive director for the JCHA.
The six commissioners in the room then voted 5-1 in favor of the hiring, with Mosby opposing.
The only comment offered after the vote was from Commissioner Annemarie Uebbing, who said she was glad she had the opportunity to approve the selection of Maio, as it allowed Uebbing to “rectify the mistake she made previously,” which was an allusion to Uebbing choosing Washington over Maio during the executive director search done in December 2003.
After the board meeting ended, Maio was asked how she felt being chosen as the new JCHA executive director.
“Good,” said Maio at first, adding, “humbled and honored to succeed Robert Rigby as executive director.”
Rigby was the executive director of the JCHA for 30 years until his death in 2003, and he had wanted Maio to succeed him.
Maio, however, did not offer any comment when asked about the flyers being circulated in opposition to her being considered for the job.
Stood out
After the meeting, Cinciarelli said that all six candidates were very qualified for the job but Maio stood out.
“She had experience, knows what is needed to run the Jersey City Housing Authority and had been trained by Robert Rigby,” she said.
Cinciarelli, when asked whether there would be any backlash from tenants as a result of choosing Maio over Robertson, said she didn’t believe there would be any repercussions.
But Ethel Jones, a tenant of the Booker T. Washington Housing Complex who braved a rainstorm to attend the meeting, said that she knew that Maio would be selected and that she felt most sorry for tenants like herself.
“The tenants had no voice in this matter. They couldn’t speak up there in that meeting, and what’s going to happen to them once Maio is in charge?” said Jones.
As it turns out, there was no public speaking period after the vote to approve the selection of Maio. There is now a rule whereby anyone who wants to offer public comment has to submit a letter to the JCHA at least five days before a commissioners’ meeting takes place.
Cinciarelli said after the meeting that she would look to revisit that rule, as previously there was a public comment period.
A spokesman for the federal department of Housing and Urban Development said, “We look forward to working with Maria Maio in her new position as executive director of the Jersey City Housing Authority.”
A special meeting will be held this week on July 21 at 6:15 p.m. to confirm the appointment of Maio as executive director.