$1M Grant Questioned By Harford African-American Caucus

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — The Harford County Caucus of African-American Leaders is asking for two employees in Harford County to be terminated based on allegations of malfeasance in office.

The caucus alleges Harford County Health Department Acting Director Marcy Austin and Harford County Director of Procurement Karen Myers lied in written responses to questions from the caucus about a $1 million federal grant that was intended to help older adults age in place.

Representatives from both the health department and the county government disputed the allegations, telling Patch they stand behind their employees.

Jim Thornton, president of the Harford County Caucus of African-American Leaders, declined to provide more information about the allegation of malfeasance-in-office when Patch asked on Wednesday afternoon. However, he said the caucus would hold a news conference at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday outside the Harford County Health Department at 120 South Hays Street in Bel Air where documents would be provided substantiating the group's claims.

The allegations stem from a grant the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded to the Harford County Health Department in August 2021. The $1 million came through the federal agency's Older Adults Home Modification Program. This program provides home repairs for low-income elderly homeowners.

Neighboring Baltimore City was also awarded a $1 million grant to help seniors through the federal program.

The Harford County Health Department pledged to work with other medical and social service providers to complete safety and functional home modifications and limited repairs in 285 units of elderly low-income homeowners. The contact on the grant application was Dr. David Bishai, who was dismissed from his post in October.

Evidence at the news conference will show that "Austin and Myers lied about their knowledge and involvement in the cancellation of an approved grant to Harford County of $1 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Older Adult Home Modification Program, for a 3-year development of a program of providing safety modifications and repairs for low-income elderly homeowners, to help them stay in place while aging," the caucus said in a news release announcing the press conference.

The Harford County Health Department said Wednesday that it had received the grant already.

"The Harford County Health Department did receive this HUD grant and we are currently working through the process to roll out this initiative," Ronya Nassar, spokesperson for the Harford County Health Department, said in a statement to Patch Wednesday evening. "Marcy Austin, Acting Health Officer, supports and is enthusiastic about this project for the health department and for the elderly in Harford County."

See Also:

• Harford Health Officer Removed From Office: Report
• Former County Health Officers, Whistleblower Allege Politicization

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Patch.

"We were not involved" in the grant, Harford County Director of Governmental and Community Relations Cindy Mumby said on behalf of Harford County Government.

Funding from the grant had been earmarked to provide occupational therapy consulting services, Mumby said. Consultants would go into people's homes and see whether they needed "a ramp or a grab bar" to help them age in place, Mumby said. It would also provide for contractors to do the work, covering the process from beginning to end to make homes safer for seniors.

The Harford County Health Department —a state agency — applied for and was responsible for the grant, she said. The health department operates under the Maryland Department of Health.

Bishai was to put the project out for bid, and he wanted to award the contract to The Right Turn Rehabilitation Services, which helped write the grant application, according to Mumby.

"This would be called a 'sole source' award, rather than the more usual practice of putting the contract out for competitive bid," Mumby said. "HUD advised the Health Department this project would have to be put out for bid, meaning that The Right Turn Rehabilitation Services would have to compete with other vendors for the work. In other words, HUD would not allow a sole source process for their grant.The next step would be for the Health Department, now under the direction of Marcy Austin, to put this project out to bid, either through the county or the state procurement department."

The Harford County Caucus of African-American Leaders is calling for County Executive Barry Glassman to fire Austin and Myers.

"The county executive does not hire the health officer, so he cannot fire her,” Mumby told Patch Wednesday afternoon. "Those personnel decisions rest with the county council and the state health department."

The county executive stands behind the procurement director.

Said Mumby: "He has no intention of firing Harford County Director of Procurement Karen Myers, an exemplary public servant who has saved taxpayers more than $25 million dollars and upheld the highest ethical standards throughout his administration."

This article has been updated to include comment from the Harford County Health Department and Harford County Government. Patch will update this post as more information becomes available.