Housing Authority Blasts Critics, Welcomes Investigation

Members of Princeton Housing Authority blasted public reports accusing its members of backroom deals and underhanded activities, and called out opponents for political grandstanding at the expense of the Authority’s reputation. 

“Contrary to what has been written, there has been no attempt to mislead, hoodwink or bamboozle the public,” Leighton Newlin, chairman of the Housing Authority’s board of commissioners, said at Tuesday's Housing Authority meeting. “No scandal has been uncovered. If there is an investigation that has been called for, we welcome it and we will cooperate with it fully.”

Newlin’s comments come following questions about possible violations of the state’s Open Meeting Law, questions about a contract for services and a member of Princeton Borough Council calling for a state investigation into the Authority.

The Authority owns and manages 236 affordable housing units in Princeton Borough and Princeton Township.

In September the Authority signed a contract with Lakewood Housing Authority to provide a minimum of 10 hours of service per week to Princeton in exchange for $65,000 a year.

Those services are mainly filled by Scott Parsons who was the Authority’s executive director until he resigned in September to take a job with Lakewood.

The issue came to a head last week when the Authority members presented an annual report to Borough Council and were questioned about what some perceived as agency improprieties.

Borough Councilor Roger Martindell told the Princeton Packet this week that Parsons was earning $119,464 a year including benefits, when he worked in Princeton. His pay of $57 per hour, more than doubled to $125 an hour for a quarter of the work he used to do, Martindell said.

In a letter dated Dec. 19, Martindell asked Lori Grifa, commissioner of the state’s Division of Community Affairs, to investigate, the Packet reported.

On Tuesday Glenn Cochran, the Authority’s attorney, acknowledged the Authority mistakenly approved the Lakewood contract on Sept. 26, a meeting that was not properly noticed under the state’s Open Public Meetings Act.

“There is no question that there was a mistake made in the failure to publish notice of the meeting and a proper agenda,” Cochran said “I have said that was a mistake of oversight, not bad intent. And in fact that was corrected the following month when it was re-noticed and properly adopted.”

Parsons typically took care of publishing meeting notices, and it was an administrative task that fell through the cracks after he left, Cochran said, adding that he will keep a close eye on things going forward and plans to attend all future Authority meetings.

Cochran said that the DCA, the agency Martindell asked to investigate, not only knew about the Authority’s contract with Lakewood but also approved it in writing.

The Lakewood contract (a signed copy can be found in the photo gallery of this article) provides for a minimum of 10 hours of work a week, preferably in Princeton during business hours. 

Nearly all of the Authority members agreed that Parsons works in Princeton not only during work hours, but after hours and on the weekends.

“Regardless of what the contract says, my dedication is getting this job done,” Parsons said.

Cochran told Authority members he wasn’t sure why Martindell, whom he considers a colleague and a friend, didn’t approach him directly before blasting the Authority in public.

“I said (to him) ‘If you had an issue, how hard would it have been for you to come to pick up the phone and call me instead of going to the papers with a press release and no facts,’” he said.

Later, following Tuesday's Borough Council meeting, Martindell said he brought the issue up publicly after multiple failures to properly notice public meetings.

"They stumbled from one failure to call a meeting to the next failure to call a meeting and it was apparent they were seriously lacking in administrative procedures and unaware of any need to deal with that despite it being called to their attention numerous times," Martindell said, although he declined to say specifically who notified the Authority of the issues. 

Concerns about the improperly-noticed meeting and subsequent signed contract with Lakewood have also been raised by Borough Councilor Barbara Trelsdad, who is the Borough’s liason to the Housing Authority.

On Monday, Princeton Township Committee members said publically they would like the Authority to publically seek either full-time or part-time director and would also like representation on the Authority.

No matter what else happens with the Authority in the new year, its commissioners will be different.

Longtime Commissioner Jacqueline Swain will not seek reappointment when her term expires this month, Newlin said. Vice Chairman David DeGeorge has tendered his resignation effective at the end of the month.

Newlin said his own future with the Authority remains uncertain.

“I’m going to have a conversation with (newly elected Borough Mayor) Yina (Moore) tomorrow about my interest in going forward,” he said. “And I’m leaning towards ‘No,’ an emphatic ‘No.’” 

“It is unfortunate that as we move towards consolidation a year from now that there are those who seek to get a jump on positioning themselves for positions of leadership by jockeying and grandstanding and throwing people and agencies under the bus and in effect showing those individuals with pure common sense exactly why they should not be trusted to lead,” Newlin said.