The HHA Follies

Why does the Hoboken Housing Authority (HHA) need a babysitter?

Take a look at the HHA's 2011 annual filing to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development showing how they allocated their $2,239,952 grant.
 

Page 3 of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) Annual Performance Report 2011.  It's 8 pages - 4 of them are blank- showing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development how the HHA allocated the $2,239,952 HUD grant it received in 2011.

In 2011, the HHA spent $385,000 to replace elevator cab floors?   
And $656,100 to renovate 2 community rooms and a laundry facility?

Here's what GA source Earwax told me about the HHA last June:

 The place is a cesspool. Carmelo has too much power both for making decisions and money issues and basically they do whatever they want to do then hide it.  Carmelo won't give the board a list of employees...  begs the question what's in that budget and why have they  been fighting so hard to keep it a secret.

Yes, the HHA is the last Great Frontier for the Dark Side.

Reform controls City Hall and the BoE.  With a huge redevelopment project looming in the HHA's future, that's the last big beak-wetting venture about to be cut off  by Reform.  Which explains why the move to hire a Deputy Executive Director was heard as a 'call to arms' for last night's HHA meeting at Fox Hills. 

Here's what went down, as told to me in a a bunch of emails that went flying around today:

Did you go to the HHA meeting? Branco went apeshit and the cops had to pull him off Peter Cunningham.

That's what I said:  "What the hell...?"   

they approved the rfp for the deputy, no auditor since Carmelo only put up his guy and I forgot to ask about the attorney. 

also Branco was crying that he should be a commissioner not Mello or Lincoln after all he is Carmelo's right hand man.   If you remember, the auditors were a fly-by-night doofus duo of two old guys in washable, one-size-fits-all bizness suits. They were from Lincroft, NJ.   We need the same firm that audited the BoE. Offhand, I don't remember the name of the firm. It sounded like a shootout at the OK corral. This is the last frontier of the Reform Movement.  

That's what I said!

Peter Cunningham  was in the audience. Only words he said, he told Branco to stop heckling. Branco and Matt went after Judy (Burell, HHA Commissioner). Telling her she shouldn't vote since Carmelo is a board member and she is an employee.  She should send a letter to Carmelo that she feels her job is now being threatened since Carmelo didn't even tell them to back off. Room was packed with we love Carmelo (supporters).  (name redacted) told everyone that she got a phone call on her way home from work to get to the meeting since they were trying to get rid of Carmelo, we will do whatever we have to do to keep Carmelo. Edwardo (Gonzales, a Commissioner) gave speech about attacking seniors hidden agendas and how Jake fought to get the chair.   He was interviewed by some camera crew don't know what for.  There was another camera crew also in attendance I'm assuming Mason's. Cops had to go after Branco when he went after Peter. He was in Peter's face cops called for back up.  I thought there was going to be a riot. Had to bring in more chairs. Patty Waiters gave a speech: gotta keep it real keep the politics out of it... LOL 

"Keep the politics out of it."   Bridge for sale, bridge for sale!

Carmelo packed the room, there weren't enough chairs.  it was a full-on attack, a relentless stream of people.  phone calls and texts had gone out telling people they were getting rid of Carmelo. People were upset, it felt like a riot might break out.  About 15 people got up to speak. 

Joe branco spoke.  He was whipping up the crowd... went on and on about how reform was doing a terrible job, and how much better things would be if he had been appointed because he was a friend of carmelo's.  He said all this was a result of his not being commissioner,  because the cc didn't appoint him - a guy who was the right hand man of Carmelo... none of this would have come up if he had been appointed.  he also blamed jake for kicking Marianne the old lady commissioner off the board, how she never should have been removed. to which jake replied something like- "yeah, and you applied for her position."  branco also bashed (HHA Commissioner) burrell, brought up something about the boe and carmelo just sat there like a mushroom growing on a log.  branco said burrell had a conflict of interest because she was his subordinate at the school district. he also said something to jake which i thought was slander- said he only created the new deputy position so he could he hired into it. 
 (HHA Commissioner)eduardo put on a show- brought a spanish language television crew.  last month he was removed as finance committee chairman.  I dont know why. gonzales read a written statement accusing jake of anti-hispanic discrimination. 

Oh, Jeez...

Branco was calling out and heckling from the audience. Peter Cunningham told him to be quiet. Joe got in Peters face and started screaming at him.  The cop stationed in the room had to call for back up to break it up.  Peter just sat there while joe acted like a screaming lunatic.

Well, folks.  Got the temperature inside that room?

What's most disturbing is the dissemination of misleading information to HHA residents (that Carmelo was getting fired) to foment rage and... possibly a riot.  

What is the objective? 

• INTIMIDATION: to intimidate the Reform commissioners.
• CHAOS:  to say Reform can't control the HHA, that the Dark Side can do better.(What Branco seemed to say)  
• ALLEGIANCE: to reinforce mistrust in the Reform administration, to instill an 'us' and 'them' tribal mentality and transfer that to the voting booth (or VBM).

Next month the Commissioners will discuss the RFP for the new Deputy Executive Director position, and probably vote on it. So, we should expect more protesting.  Loudly.  More misinformation texted to HHA residents.

Something to ponder.

The screaming over the creation of an oversight position tells you exactly why we have to have it.