By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
Under fire for Sunshine Law violations, the chairman of the Housing Authority of the Borough of Princeton is speaking out, admitting a meeting where a contract was voted on was not properly noticed, but defending the board’s actions.
The agency manages 216 units of affordable low, low income housing at Spruce Circle, Redding Circle, Clay Street, Karin Court, Maple and Franklin Terraces.
In the late summer, the authority’s executive director, Scott Parsons, received an offer from the Lakewood Housing Authority and notified the local board, which considered meeting the offer — a 28 percent salary increase from what he was earning in Princeton, said Leighton Newlin, chairman of the Housing Authority.
”All the commissioners could not get together,” said Mr. Newlin. “What we wanted to do was to either consider making a counter offer to retain him because he is an extraordinary executive director. We were unable to meet because people were on vacation and I thought as chair it was important a decision of that magnitude to either counteroffer or not counteroffer had to be made by a full board.”
The board could not meet the salary.
”After everything is said and done I personally wish that we as a board, it didn’t happen, the 28 percent was too great to step up to, hindsight 20/20, we probably should have done it,” said Mr. Newlin.
”As a board we wrestled, it was a difficult decision,” said Mr. Newlin, noting Mr. Parsons wore two hats — the executive directorship and a CPA.
The Housing Authority is a federally backed HUD agency.
So, after eight years as executive director and 15 on the payroll, Mr. Parsons parted ways with Princeton about Sept. 14, said Mr. Newlin. His position in Lakewood is assistant director under Mary Jo Grasso, the former executive director of in Princeton.
Shortly after departing, Mr. Parsons called the Princeton agency with the idea of an interlocal agreement, said Mr. Newlin.
”Scott called me and told me he had an idea,” he said. “After Scott left, morale of people in the office was critically low, the people there loved working for him.”
The meeting where the interlocal agreement was first decided was not properly posted, and Mr. Newlin acknowledged the mistake.
”We fully admit we did not give notice for one of those meetings,” he said. “What happened during that interim time when Scott was not the executive director, he was the guy responsible for giving notice of these meetings. We as the board never had the responsibility to notice meetings, that’s always been done by Scott, that’s always been done by the executive director and during that quick interim time when he was not working with the housing authority we had a meeting to enter into the interlocal agreement. That’s no secret, we’re not hiding from that, we moved to protect the interest of HABOP.”
”When we realized we made a mistake and didn’t notice it, we corrected the mistake the next month and noticed it,” said Mr. Newlin. “We realized we made a mistake.”
The board did vote to approve the interlocal agreement again at its October meeting, as noted in the minutes posted online.
The $65,000 in the contract dated Sept. 13 is paid to the Lakewood Housing Authority.
”Not a dime of that money goes into Scott Parson’s hands,” said Mr. Newlin. “We are paying Lakewood $65,000 to run the Princeton Housing Authority, it is being run extremely well, it continues to be high-performing. The way we look at is there has been no diminishing of services.”
Mr. Newlin signed the contract on Oct. 26.
The agreement dictates that the Housing Authority will be under the direct supervision of Mary Jo Grauso, executive director of the Lakewood Housing Authority, and services shall be rendered by Ms. Grauso, Mr. Parsons and Tania Berríos, Lakewood’s public housing coordinator.
The $65,000 fee to Lakewood is a savings for the authority, said Mr. Newlin.
Mr. Parsons’ old salary and benefits package totaled more than $119,000.
”We’re asking for services. You guys want to focus on the math,” said Mr. Newlin. “It is not about the math.”
The interlocal contract, which is valid for one year, requires a minimum of 10 hours of work per week on behalf of HABOP, said Mr. Newlin.
”He’s there more than 10 hours a week,” he said. “He devotes much more than 10 hours a week, sometimes 20 or 30 hours a week on Princeton Housing Authority business if it is needed, his interest and dedication is in getting the job done. This is a world of BlackBerries and computerization, how come people can’t get in their heads things can be done remotely and done well? This is a new world we live in.”
”He’s essentially doing the same job, he’s just not there as much,” said Mr. Newlin, noting that emails and communications flow back and forth.
The agreement is similar to what is in place in other housing authorities throughout the state.
”We’re not breaking new ground or setting a precedent,” said Mr. Newlin.
HABOP’s attorney, the borough attorney and the Division of Community Affairs examined the interlocal contract and approved it, he said.
An Oct. 24 email from Marc Pfeifer, deputy director of the NJ Division of local government services at the DCA confirms the DCA “sees no problems with the arrangement.”
Mr. Newlin’s third five-year term is over at the end of the year, and he said. Mayor elect Yina Moore has asked him to stay.
”She has indicated that I will be reappointed,” he said. “I have been reappointed, I serve at the pleasure of Ms. Yina Moore.”
Mr. Newlin was appointed to the Housing Authority 15 years ago by then Mayor Michelle Tuck-Ponder.
There are three vacancies on the board at the end of the year that Ms. Moore will need to fill. Jacqueline Swain, who is completing her third five-year term, is stepping down, as is David DeGeorge. The third open seat has been open since the passing of Evelyn Voorhees last year, said Mr. Newlin.
”The HABOP Board of Commissioners is going through a shift,” said Mr. Newlin. “When the new board convenes we will begin addressing the issue of the position of executive director.”
At the Township Committee meeting on Dec. 19, Committeewoman Liz Lempert called for a township committee person to be a liaison to the board, similar to Councilwoman Barbara Trelstad, due to the township’s interest in Redding Circle, a Housing Authority managed development in the township. Committeeman Lance Liverman, who sits on the Township’s Affordable Housing Board, said Ms. Lempert on Dec. 23, will fill this position.
Mr. Newlin, a township resident, said he would welcome any addition to the board.
”The more interface, the more linkages we have is only positive in nature for us,” he said. “The only question I would ask is what took the township so long to get interested? The borough has always had a liaison, no one stopped the township from having a liaison.”
Councilman Roger Martindell is calling for a state investigation of the agency and its approval of the interlocal contract.
”It’s good Roger challenged this the way that he did so people can see what it is,” said Mr. Newlin. “Baseless accusations. We live in a world where this is a world now where most times you always have scandals and you always have people who come out and accuse somebody of something and most of the time it’s right, but a lot of the times it’s not and this is one of those times.”
Calling Mr. Martindell’s actions grandstanding, bullying and jockeying for leadership in the next year, Mr. Newlin hopes that all the attention on organization will bring some good and the organization can hopefully expand its low, low income offerings.
