HUDNo.2012-02-10

HUDNo.2012-02-10

ADVOCATE OR MALCONTENT? YOU TELL ME.

I have come to a crossroads in what choices I have to make in the near future.  I have advocated for Montana's Low-income Residential Rental Tenants since 2006, when I, unfortunately, was trapped in an elevator, in the apartment building I was living in. It took them over an hour to get me out.  At that time I was still being escorted, by my Service Dog, Cricket, allowing me to not only leave my home but particapate in family gatherings, healthcare appointments, grocery shoping; you know, being a productive, useful citizen of this great state, county, and city.

Here it is, six full years latter and I am still the only voice from that above mentioned group, that I am aware of.  Though I did here reports of a Daisy from Montana, sitting in on the last Resident Engagement Group Call, January 20, 2012.  I have enjoyed the most part of the work, though there is absolutly no pay, very little if any support because "Hands are tied, We are Federally funded."

Have I really made a difference in this political sespool, we call Federal Subsidized Housing, or have I
traveled down yet another primrose path that dead ends at the cematary?

Do I walk away from this endless debate and start working in a direction that is a little more self-centered like going back to school?  Or am I better off trudging, slowly, and mithodically without any real support and, or, structure down this path of life?

FUNDRAISING REQUESTS

Dear Susan,
Montana is making headlines. Across the country, people are looking at our state Supreme Court’s decision to stop big corporations from buying elections – and they’re beginning to realize just how wrong Citizens United was. One national editorial agreed with Montana Justices that “Citizens United has given corporations enormous power barely distinguishable from bribery.”
Well, I want Montana to make more headlines on this issue – by rejecting the influence of these powerful special interests in our Senate race. Sure, they’re going to continue to spend big attacking us – they’ve already spent over $1 million since last June. But if we band together, we can beat them and send a powerful message across the country.
Click here to help me make a statement about our grassroots strength. We’re just $20,000 away from our January fundraising goal, and with seven days left, we’re within reach – but we need your contribution now.
Frankly, I don’t need to read it in the paper to know that it’s wrong to let corporate giants and Washington special interests tell us who wins our elections. And you and I both know that if we let them get their way, we’ll be reading headlines about more giveaways to Big Oil and Wall Street, more pain for working families, more tax loopholes for millionaires, and more ugly gridlock in Washington.
So let’s re-write the story. Let’s do what it takes to build a campaign capable of beating these guys. Let’s show the nation what Montana already knows: that if our government’s going to be accountable to the people, our elections have to be decided by the people.
Hitting our January fundraising goal is an important step on the road to victory. Help us raise the last $20,000 by making a contribution of $5 or more right now!
If we keep working hard and hitting our goals, Karl Rove and his special interest pals will open the paper after Election Day and read about how all their “enormous power” and unlimited resources couldn’t beat our grassroots team.
And that’s the kind of headline I want.
Please click here to give now!
Thanks for helping me write this story,

Jon

Proposal to Greatly Expand “Moving To Work” Initiative Risks Deep Cuts in Housing Assistance Over Time — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Proposal to Greatly Expand “Moving To Work” Initiative Risks Deep Cuts in Housing Assistance Over Time — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities


Tell me what you think.

TenantTalk2-4.pdf (application/pdf Object)

TenantTalk2-4.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Large Majority of Housing Voucher Recipients Work, are Elderly, or Have Disabilities — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Large Majority of Housing Voucher Recipients Work, are Elderly, or Have Disabilities — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

And we wonder why public housing and afforable housing is in trouble.

Furious Gov. Patrick begins state takeover of Chelsea Housing Authority

·         E-mail

By Scott Allen and Andrea Estes, Globe Staff

The administration of Governor Deval Patrick has asked Attorney General Martha Coakley to begin a state takeover of the troubled Chelsea Housing Authority, whose chief executive resigned earlier this month amid an uproar over his $360,000 annual compensation.

The Department of Housing and Community Development, which has already frozen state funding to the authority, requested that the attorney general place it in state receivership, allowing the state to oversee the day-to-day operations of the agency.

·         11/12/11: Harshbarger goes
to bat for McLaughlin

·         11/11/11: Contracts show
McLaughlin's seduction of authority

·         11/7/11: Pay at top
riles Chelsea tenants

·         11/5/11: On way out,
housing chief cashed in

·         11/5/11: Housing chief pay
uproar recalls corruption

·         11/4/11: HUD examines
Chelsea agency

·         11/3/11: High-pay
housing director resigns

·         10/30/11: Chelsea housing
chief’s pay draws fire

Coakley will now petition the Supreme Judicial Court for permission to appoint an independent receiver who will monitor the uthority and ensure that staff cooperate with various state investigations that have begun since former director Michael E. McLaughlin abruptly resigned after his full salary was revealed by the Boston Globe.

“A court-appointed receiver can ensure that public funds are being spent responsibly, leadership is performing their duties in an above-board, transparent manner and the residents of Chelsea who depend on the services the Chelsea Housing Authority provides are protected,” Patrick said in a statement. “This will help restore the public’s confidence, and my own, and will put the housing authority on a better path.”

Patrick has said he is “boiling” over the high pay to McLaughlin -- perhaps the highest among housing directors in the United states - and he demanded the resignation of McLaughlin as well as the five-member board of directors who approved his contract.

McLaughlin stepped down Nov. 3, but not before co-signing checks to himself for more than $200,000 that he said the authority owed him for unused vacation, sick, and personal time. The five-member board also resigned, but not before making one of McLaughlin’s assistants, Albert Ewing, the new director and offering him a five-year contract.

Now, the FBI and numerous other agencies are investigating the authority amid allegations that McLaughlin’s staff shredded records in the hours before he left, while McLaughlin himself took numerous boxes out of the Locke Street administrative offices on his last night as executive director.

A state takeover of a housing authority is exceedingly rare, but Coakley and Patrick say it’s justified in Chelsea, where the entire city was once in state receivership. State housing officials say the resignation of McLaughlin and the board has left a leadership vacuum at an agency that manages housing for 1,400 low-income families, receiving millions in funding from the state and federal governments.

“As our office moves forward with its own investigations, we hope this strong action today will help prevent the further abuse of taxpayer money,” said Coakley in a statement. 

If approved, the receiver would report back to the SJC within 90 days. By that time, Patrick administration officials say, a new board of directors -- one named by Patrick, four by Chelsea city manager Jay Ash -- should be ready to resume normal oversight.

Scott Allen can be reached at allen@globe.com. Andrea Estes can be reached at estes@globe.com

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