The Bradford Housing Authority officially accepted the
resignation of former executive director Shelley Whitman at the
board’s Thursday meeting.
The unanimous 5 to 0 vote by the authority puts to rest months
of speculation and legal wrangling over the status of Whitman as
head of the city’s public housing units and Section 8 programs. The
final verdict ended with “inconclusive results” officials said.
Both the authority and Whitman agreed to Whitman’s departure
from the position in a decision announced earlier this month. In
that decision, Whitman’s attorney Gerald Robinson of Harrisburg
said in a fax to The Era that Whitman’s “failure to return as
executive director is in no way an admission of malfeasance or
impropriety and no charges will be pursued by the housing
authority.”
There has never been any public disclosure on exactly what
brought about the parting of ways for both sides. Authority
solicitor Bob Saunders said previously the fax spoke for
itself.
On Thursday, Chairman Terry Lopus said the search for Whitman’s
replacement will begin immediately.
“Our intent is to pursue it as quickly as possible,” Lopus said
following the meeting. He did not give a timeframe on when the
authority would like to see somebody in place.
Lopus said the authority will be working with the state Civil
Service Commission and under the authority’s own procedures to find
a replacement, noting they will also be advertising the
opening.
Last August, Whitman was suspended with pay by the authority
after it launched an investigation into an unspecified matter. In
response, Whitman and Robinson indicated the authority failed to
provide a specific reason for its actions, claiming the matter
could be a violation of Whitman’s civil service rights.
That month, the authority started auditing its books and
operations as part of the investigation. The authority used an
independent auditor to perform the task.
While the investigation was ongoing, the McKean County Housing
Authority in Smethport was supervising the city’s authority on a
temporary basis.
The authority has housing units on Bushnell and South Center
streets and Brookline Court. The agency is just one of several
authorities under the auspices of the City of Bradford.
In other news, the authority again broached the subject of
having some type of security mechanism in place at its High Rise
building on Bushnell Street.
Last month, a handful of residents complained to the board about
several incidents which have occurred where juveniles have been
left into the building at various times during the day and night
and a public restroom was being abused.
At that time, the authority agreed to look into security
measures, including the use of security guards for nights and
weekends and installing more security cameras in the building’s
other entrances.
With that in mind, and in light of the authority being on a
tight budget, resident Judy Blanchard asked the board about forming
a hall monitoring system, where residents of the building would
volunteer to watch for problems between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. near the
main entrance.
A similar concept was employed a few years ago when Jan Hamilton
was in charge.
The residents said two people could be used as monitors at a
time, in part, for protection purposes.
The board agree to look into the matter.
Also, the board will probe whether its “pet rates” could be
lowered for residents with pets.
As it stands, residents pay a total of $149 – a $50 admission
fee and $99 security deposit – to have an animal on the premises.
Officials said animals need to be registered, declawed and have the
appropriate vaccinations.
Currently, there are about 12 animals living in the
building.
