Three top officials are vacating roles at the New York City Housing Authority this month, part of a growing exodus since former Lehman Brothers executive John Rhea took the helm two years ago, City Hall News reported. Those departures stand in addition to six other vacancies at NYCHA, complicating efforts to make the agency more effective and accountable.
General manager Michael Kelly was on loan to the Philadelphia Housing Authority for eight months before becoming its permanent executive director Monday. His replacement, Chief Information Technology Officer Atefeh Riazi, just joined the authority last year and has no previous housing experience.
CFO Felix Lam will be leaving Friday to take the position
at City College, even as the position under him, budget and financial
planning director, was already vacant.
Later this month, Eve Michel, the assistant
deputy general manager for capital projects, will be leaving for the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, while the position above hers, deputy general manager for capital projects, has been vacant for more than a year.
Greg Kern, who oversaw Section 8 housing as director of leased
housing, was recently fired, according to City Hall News. And, Earl Andrews, vice chairman, resigned in March for
using agency letterhead to write to a federal judge about a family
friend with a child pornography charge.
The agency has also been under varying supervision. NYCHA was
under former Deptuy Mayor Dennis Walcott’s authority until he became
schools chancellor in March, and is now overseen by Deputy Mayor for
Economic Development Robert Steel. Earlier this week, a survey found
that the maintenance of public housing managed by NYCHA was
unacceptable. [City Hall News]