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From the Editor's Desk: Housing authority desperately needs fixing

Saturday, February 11, 2006 6:47 AM CST

Just before the start of Wednesday night's Williamson County Housing Authority meeting in Carterville, county commissioner Brent Gentry joked: "The circus is back in town."

The Democrat was kidding, I think, but his biting words describe the sideshow ineffectiveness of a group that controls a $3.5 million budget and rarely seems to focus on the hundreds of lower-income people it serves.

Unfortunately, the Housing Authority needs an $85-an-hour attorney to referee meetings and maintain sanity among the dysfunctional group. It also needs intervention from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has started futile training sessions with board members on their own rules and regulations.

Given the Housing Authority's volatile history, it's debatable whether anything will improve its professionalism or cohesiveness without removing everyone and casting a new set of characters.

To avoid the embarrassing and painful thought of HUD taking over the Housing Authority, there are two solutions I will suggest without charging taxpayers $85 an hour.

Beginning immediately, board members should: 1. Focus on tenants, employees and their problems, not political infighting. 2. Cut the names off every job application and hire the best candidates, regardless of their family ties or connections.

The Housing Authority's agenda included only one item related to tenants. Members briefly discussed the installation of security cameras at some properties, despite no history of vandalism or a compelling need to buy the equipment. Three previous meetings had no agenda items related to tenant satisfaction.

Two items discussed related to employees. One was about letting employees borrow from their 401K plan.

"Do employees want that?" commissioner Marie Basler asked.

It was a good question. Unfortunately, the board did not have the foresight to invite interested employees to the meeting to discuss it.

Housing Authority Chairman Bill Romeo brought up executive director Mark Sosnowski's annual review. Unfortunately, no one kept a copy of Sosnowski's previous review to know if he met his goals and expectations.

The board hired the capable Sosnowski with a 10-year contract three years ago. It voted to nullify his contract in November. Unfortunately, the board did not seem to understand that contracts cannot be voided merely with a motion. It was ordered in a letter from HUD to renegotiate the contract. It has not.

Good management skills and ethics can be learned or at least adopted. If I were the Housing Authority, I would take HUD's training seriously and not snicker about it, as some board members do.

I also would invite Carterville schools superintendent Tim Bleyer to the next meeting.

Ask him if the school district's strict nepotism clause works (it does). And while he's there, ask the former basketball coach about teamwork.

"We had rules on nepotism on the books a few years ago," Sosnowski said. "The board voted to eliminate them."

Next month, the Housing Authority will be discussing its bylaws.

Hopefully, a nepotism clause will emerge. It would allow the board to find more talented board members like newly appointed Donald Yewell, who, ironically, is a Carterville school board member.

At this point, though, it might be up to someone like Gentry to introduce a countywide policy on hiring. It should include a nepotism clause and reference checks for all Williamson County government hires.

Gentry and the Housing Authority have a tough-love relationship. When Romeo was named chairman, Gentry told a television reporter the appointment made "me sick to my stomach" because he thought Romeo would be used for political purposes. Before Wednesday night's meeting, Romeo called Gentry over and gave him a pack of Tums.

Unfortunately, it'll take more than an over-the-counter remedy to fix what ails the Housing Authority.

James Bennett is editor of The Southern Illinoisan. Contact him at (618) 351-5033 or james.bennett@thesouthern.com.