News 8 has asked for the same information (and hasnt gotten it.) Also, it should be noted that McFadden is being paid the same as Castro. Furthermore, are job protections a reason to fire someone? They need to release documents we asked for soon. Press Statement Statement from George Moses Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Rochester Housing Authority The Rochester Housing Authority is moving forward with its mission to provide affordable housing for those in need. We attribute recent events as a distraction from fully meeting that mission. The Commissioners understand residents’ concerns. Therefore, it is vital we focus on them. We are committed to moving forward with transparency. Currently, we are responding to FOIL requests made by the Democrat and Chronicle. To clear up the tilted information as to a personnel issue that the Board is attempting to address methodically, here are some material and salient facts. In searching for documents requested by the Democrat and Chronicle, we discovered procurement files held by former director Alex Castro are missing. Our employment counsel has contacted Mr. Castro’s counsel regarding this matter. When we discovered the terms and extent of Mr. Castro’s employment contract in mid-September, the Board felt compelled to take action- the overreaching contract and the lack of counsel on that matter by long time general counsel served as the basis for an expedited call for the October 14 special board meeting. The Board was appalled to learn that this was an overreaching contract with compensation and benefits worth $1 million that contained unwarranted protections for the executive director to the detriment of the Authority and it was extended for another 7 years. While on average, our residents earn $17,000 annually. Further, Mr. Castro’s sweetheart deals were discussed and approved in secret meetings veiled as Executive Sessions where actual votes were taken but upon advice of counsel never recorded and posted in accordance with the Open Meetings Law. Both the February 2012 5-year contract and the extended contract entered into in January 2014 were all conducted in private. We need to keep RHA’s residents in mind when we set staff salaries and not put ourselves in a position that appears greedy. The newsworthy discussion should be how could the prior Board enter into two secret contracts with former Director Castro. These are real substantive issues. We are looking forward to successfully concluding the issues that have been raised by some in this community who would rather pursue a divisive course instead of addressing a fiscal and personnel issue. William P. Albert Senior Manager of Media and Community Relations HARRIS BEACH PLLC ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 21:15:03 +0000
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