Questions Arise Over Housing Authority Management

A Wallingford resident who is a member of the New Haven Fire Department is questioning why the town chose not to employ its own legal representation in the recent agreement with the Housing Authority of New Haven to oversee Wallingford's public housing.

Frank Ricci voiced his questioning during the Town Council meeting Tuesday night, saying that the town should have had its own attorney in the negotations with the HANH. But council members said the proper place to lodge his complaints is before the Wallingford Housing Authority.

In February, the WHA agreed to have New Haven manage the town's public housing for three months. But that agreement has been extended for a year, and one attorney representing both New Haven and Wallingford brokered the deal, Ricci said.

"I'm sure that comes as a surprise to some of you," Ricci told the council.

"I hear a lot that New Haven has a great housing authority, but I'm sure no one here has ever spent a night at Farnam Court," he said, referring to one of New Haven's public housing projects. Many projects in New Haven are "rampant" with drugs and prostitution, he said, and criminals have been allowed to "jump the [waiting] list" and have been given spots in the apartments.

"What's stopping them from moving to Wallingford?" he asked. "The fact that one attorney reviewed the agreement is disconcerting."

Like reading Wallingford Patch? Sign-up here for our newsletter. Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The council has no authority of the WHA, council Chairman Robert Parisi said, but they have complete faith in the WHA members who oversaw the process.

"Do you have any information of anything that has happened" to warrant the concern about the Wallingford public housing, Parisi asked Ricci. "I have great faith in those appointed to the Wallingford Housing Authority — people have come up to me and told me that they are satisfied [with the new management] so I am not going to go head hunting."

The council has a "caviler attitude" toward the situation, resident Tim Rich said. 

"This contract was written by a New Haven attorney and you seem to be comfortable with that," he said. "I question your judgement."

He has brought his concerns to the Wallingford Housing Authority, he said. "We agreed to disagree," he said.

"I think these gentlemen bring up several red flags and there may be others we didn't notice," Councilman Nick Economopoulos said.