Ansonia Housing Authority officials would not comment this week on the resignation of its executive director and the dismissal of another employee.
James Finnucan, the housing authority’s executive director, resigned on Dec. 28. Finnucan is a former mayor of Ansonia.
His resignation comes four weeks after the Ansonia Housing Authority Board of Commissioners fired their “compliance coordinator,” Tiffany Reeves.
Meeting minutes indicate the staff changes were brought on by unspecified allegations of a third person, which triggered an internal investigation within the housing authority.
Officials aren’t talking about the staff changes, saying they can’t comment because they are “personnel” issues.
The housing authority’s commissioners this week wouldn’t even provide the Valley Independent Sentinel with a job description for “compliance coordinator.”
In The Dark
The silence has left residents wondering.
Malika Mosely, the president of the tenants association at the housing authority’s Riverside Apartments, said no one has given the tenants any information.
“Nobody knows. It’s like this really big secret,” Mosely said. “And since it was so sudden, it’s even more suspicious.”
Shelley White, an attorney with New Haven Legal Assistance, a law firm that represents housing authority tenants, is also concerned.
“As I understand it right now, there’s nobody internally acting as interim director,” White said. “That’s problematic.”
“I’m concerned it could affect the tenants if they don’t get somebody to step up to the plate quickly,” the attorney said.
Finnucan did not return three calls for comment left at his home this week. Reeves’ contact information was unavailable.
Investigation, Termination, Resignation
The Ansonia Housing Authority is a public agency run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A board of city-appointed commissioners oversees policies at the Ansonia Housing Authority.
A regional spokesman for HUD New England referred questions to local housing authority officials.
The Valley Indy filed a Freedom of Information request Tuesday for three sets of recent meeting minutes for the authority’s Board of Commissioners.
The minutes were released Friday afternoon, after a housing authority employee checked with an attorney. They are all posted at the end of this article.
The firing and resignation appear to be linked, according to the minutes.
The board reviewed a “claim” and “allegations” regarding both Reeves and Finnucan at a meeting on Dec. 1, according to the minutes.
The claim and allegations came from another employee at the Ansonia Housing Authority — Gwen Archer. The minutes do not give any indication as to what the allegations were. Housing authority commissioners refused to identify Archer’s position within the organization.
Archer’s phone number is not listed and she was unable to be reached for comment.
Timeline
Here is a timeline of the firing and resignation, according to the minutes of three meetings:
Dec. 1 — Reeves was fired at the end of the Dec. 1 meeting, after commissioners met behind closed doors for four hours in an executive session. Executive sessions are closed to the public and are allowed in certain situations, such as when dealing with personnel issues.
Dec. 2 — The board of commissioners directed Finnucan to meet with a housing authority attorney on Dec. 2 “in connection with the investigation into claims brought by Gwen Archer and new allegations.”
Dec. 21 — The Ansonia Housing Authority Board of Commissioners met for an hour and a half behind closed doors to talk about “personnel issues relating” to Finnucan. There was no vote after the executive session.
Dec. 28 — Finnucan resigned, following a 40-minute executive session of the Ansonia Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. He signed an agreement of some kind with the Housing Authority.
Finnucan
The agreement says Finnucan would be paid and have health insurance for another two months — until Feb. 29, 2012. His resignation went into effect the night of Dec. 28.
Housing Authority officials would not disclose Finnucan’s salary Friday. An attorney for the board, Jeff Tuccio, said he will likely get that information to the Valley Indy on Monday.
Finnucan was the mayor of Ansonia from 1977 to 1983. He has served as the executive director of the Ansonia Housing Authority for the past five or six years, according to city officials.
No One Is Talking
Housing Authority Board of Commissioners chairman James Tyma refused to comment on anything involving the claims, the investigation, the resignation or firing, citing “personnel” issues.
Tuccio, the authority’s attorney, also refused to comment on the situation.
“I simply can’t comment on that,” Tuccio said. “It’s considered personnel matters.”
Mayor James Della Volpe said he couldn’t comment on the resignation because he wasn’t aware of the details. Della Volpe said he has been told it’s a personnel issue.
The Valley Independent Sentinel has filed Freedom of Information requests seeking the following information:
- The salaries of Finnucan and Reeves
- The resignation letter from Finnucan
- The agreement between Finnucan and the Ansonia Housing Authority
- The complaint or “claim” filed by Gwen Archer that launched the investigation.
None of the documents or information was released as of Friday.
According to the minutes of the Dec. 28 meeting, Finnucan’s resignation letter was placed “in escrow.”
Tuccio declined to comment on what specifically that meant, but said escrow generally means something is held and not released.
Next Steps
Tyma said the Board of Commissioners is trying to get an interim director in place “in the immediate future.”
The board will then start a search for a replacement for Finnucan.
“The board is doing everything it can to have the transition go as smooth as possible,” Tyma said.
Della Volpe said he had talked to Tyma about the transition, and has “all the confidence in the world in the commission.”
Mosely said she had nothing personal against Finnucan, but wants to see a new director who will move the Riverside Apartments forward — something she felt no previous director has done well enough.
“I hate to see Jim gone,” Mosely said. “But if he had to leave, and the next person can get things done faster, I’m good with that.”
THE MINUTES
Minutes of December 1 2011 Special Boc Meeting
