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Public Housing Spotlight
on NYCHA

Issue 93
Published on December 14, 2001

For a printable (PDF) version of any Spotlight articles, please specify the issue and email us at nychaspotlight@netscape.net

(Click Here for NYCHA "preliminary" Audit
by NYC Comptroller Alan Hevesi)

(Click Here for Directory of Issues)

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DOI Investigating . . .
NYCHA Legal in a sweat!
NYCHA Brass solves morale problems!

All true . . . in a way.

Let's first look at DOI, NYCHA legal and the surrounding players.

Since our last issue, things have gotten hectic at both NYCHA's Legal Dept. and the makeshift offices in the condemned "Finkel's Retirement Enhancer" building in Long Island City.

We've been contacted by folks in Legal, Design, CAD, QCC, Development Management and . . . some other NYCHA areas. Without a doubt, Issue 92 (Click Here) touched a major nerve at DOI!

We had always hoped to force a true DOI/IG investigation into NYCHA's contracting practices, but the speed with which the IG investigators were onto this latest story of NYCHA bumbling was incredible. (If you're new to this, the NYC Dept. of Investigation [DOI] is the Mother Ship for the various City Agency Inspector General's Offices. All the IG's are officially part of DOI, NOT the agencies where they are stationed.)

If only they were investigating the loss of tax moneys by a contractor who completed 5% of a Bathroom Renovation contract in 17 months, had a 161 page Default package generated and was then "protected" from defaulting the contract by the NYC Dept. of Investigation!

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But, no! Even before the Spotlight was being faxed to NYCHA's offices, these DOI sleuths were grilling all manner of NYCHA folk, from the Legal Department people, NYCHA field execs, CAD management, inspectors and the local pit bulls. (Okay, only the pit bulls know what that conversation was about.)

Our sources tell us that CAD people were told "the persons responsible for leaking the info on the Alasia contract will be forced out to do field work by 4 PM today." In the Legal Dept., people were warned about careers that suddenly end.

NYCHA execs who have been around for going on twenty years said they had never seen such a quick response to a fax in their careers.

We have to guess that there is consternation about the possibility that either the FBI will look into the problems at DOI, or a reporter will begin using the Freedom of Information act to get copies of the Alasia contract.

We're hoping the FBI gets involved. There's still a bunch of NYCHA employees who will be glad to let the Feds know how the US taxpayers get their pockets picked by NYCHA crooks.

Now onto "NYCHA Brass solves morale problems!"

Morale in NYCHA is low. It is so low that when John Martinez took over, after the Franco/Finkel administration debacle, he needed to schedule huge meetings for the entire NYCHA staff to discuss improving morale.

The Contract Administration Department (CAD), under William (Bill) Russo at the time, was mired in a corruption scandal that was reported about on Channel 9 News. So morale in CAD was especially low.

Well, at least that's about to change.

The new Director of CAD, , has decided that his employees will lead the way to high morale and integrity, . . . by wearing patches on their sleeves!

That's right. Patches are riding to the rescue!

And not just any patches. No, these patches will have both the Department name and the Inspector's name on them.

"Take that!", poor morale!

Now, if someone at CAD is feeling low, they'll only have to glance at their sleeve to be cheered-up.

If inspectors find greed is influencing their interaction with a contractor, they need do is glance at their shoulder for morale support. Right there, inches from their own eyes, they'll be reminded of . . . they'll become aware of . . . . well, they'll certainly know the correct spelling of their own name and that of the NYCHA department in which they work. (C A D)

The Director obviously thinks that personal name recognition and department awareness will straighten out those problems that his predecessors couldn't defeat. If only these patches were available back in 1997, there would probably be no need for Spotty today.

No, we don't make this stuff up. The IG's people really do threaten people with job problems if they are caught telling the truth.

Placing name tags on clothing passes for high-level Executive decision making at NYCHA. Unfortunately, there's no need to exaggerate idiocy when don't writing about NYCHA.

And that's the sin!

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© 2001 Public Housing Spotlight and John Ballinger. All rights reserved.
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Contact Jack Ballinger at nychaspotlight@netscape.net
for a Real Audio sound clip containing a
conversation wherein DOI Investigator
John Kilpatrick discusses how he learned
that 2 NYCHA execs attended
a Mafia connected contractor's funeral .

Contact Jack Ballinger at nychaspotlight@netscape.net
for a Real Audio sound clip containing
the (3 Meg) confession of Tony DiAlto.
Tony was a member of a group of
corrupt Contract Inspectors working at NYCHA.
Neither Tony nor the person he confessed to
sharing his bribes with (Richard Penesi)
were ever charged, let alone prosecuted, by DOI.


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NYC Housing Authority's
(NYCHA) own site

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U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development

451 7th Street S.W.,
Washington, DC 20410
Telephone: (202) 708-1112
TTY: (202) 708-1455

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Public Housing Authorities
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