Bed Bugs and More….

The City of Saratoga runs a 176 unit high rise Housing Authority property for the elderly and vulnerable among us.   It was created as an Authority by State ordinance and is run by a Board appointed by the Mayor and a Director, currently Ed Sypchalski.  Under State law salaries must be approved by the City Council and jobs fall under the Civil Service Commission.

A few summers ago preventive monthly insect exterminations were cancelled by the Director.  Last summer bed bugs were discovered in a number of units. After seven months it is reportedly a bed bug infestation and the problem has yet to be addressed.  There are still bed bugs unchecked at Stonequist.

 

Here are some facts.

 

1. The Director was hired in 2006 at a salary of $75,000.  In the last four years under Mayor Johnson, that salary has risen to $152,000 plus benefits.  The Director also has a housing authority vehicle that he drives to and from his home in Half Moon.

1. According to the State ordinance that created the City’s Housing Authority, salaries are to be approved by the City Council.  According to Council minutes no salary has come before the Council for approval since 2000 when the then Deputy Mayor was the ex-Chair of the Housing Authority. 
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3. The Director has his daughter and his son working for the Housing Authority and there is question about the required Civil Service Commission waivers.

4. The Housing Authority Board and the Director have had a travel/training budget of $25,000 and more per year for the past two years.  According to F.O.I.L. information, the Director, Chairman Brunelle, Board member Eric Weller and others have spent over $57,000 for travel, training and lodging in the past two years.

4. According to the newspapers the housing authority had more than $2.8 million in June, 2011.

4. It is reported that the Housing Authority Board has hired an Albany Public Relations firm to help deal with their image.

So the questions are: Why haven’t the Director and the Board of the Housing Authority dealt with the bed bug problem?  Why has the Authority Board given the Director a 100% raise in the past four years?   Why do the Authority Board and Director have $25,000 and $31,000 in travel/ training expenses that were spent in Las Vegas and Florida?  Why have our lawyer Mayor and City Attorney Scala permitted these salary excesses without requiring that the Authority come before the Council?

Should the Mayor replace the entire Board?  Should the Directors be required to return their “training” expenses and the public relations money to help defray the bed bug extermination expenses?

Above all, where is the accountability?  A City Hall workshop called by Commissioner Franck nearly turned into a free for all with accusers grilling Authority Board members without due process or representation.  We do not need a witch hunt!!!  We need the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and City Attorney to fulfill their responsibilities and protect this vulnerable part of our community.

Article 3, Section 32 of the State Public Housing Law says, “Officers and employees; compensation and expenses. 1. When the office of the first chairman of the authority becomes vacant, the authority shall select a chairman from among its members.  An authority shall select from among its members a vice-chairman, and it may employ, subject to the provisions of the civil service law applicable to the municipality in which it is established, a general manager, a secretary, technical experts and such other officers, agents and employees as it may require, and determine their qualifications, duties and subject to the approval of the local legislative body, fix their compensation.