Politics

Final housing panelist ousted

Looking to end the Housing Authority board's troubles, the council picks four new members.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer
Published August 22, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Paul Boston said he had accomplished his main goals on the housing board.

BROOKSVILLE - The City Council this week completed its extreme makeover of the Brooksville Housing Authority.

The council Monday night confirmed Mayor David Pugh's recommendation to remove Paul Boston, the last of four Housing Authority members involved in the agency's history of problems. Council members also accepted Pugh's choices for replacements.

Boston's departure now means that all who were leading the authority during the recent controversies have been replaced.

During that board's tenure, Executive Director Betty Trent and project manager Joe Ann Bennett were convicted on federal fraud charges.

Earlier this month, the council at Pugh's recommendation agreed to remove Carl Pilcher, Gertrude Mobley and Donnamaria Lopez from the authority board for their parts in a long history of maintenance and oversight problems with the low-income apartment complexes.

Boston was unable to make the previous hearing and instead pleaded his case for more than two hours Monday.

Emotions ran high during Boston's presentation and, at times, he got into heated exchanges both with Pugh and City Attorney David La Croix over the hearing procedure and the details of the allegations.

Boston was specifically chastised for voting in April to continue electrical repairs at Housing Authority properties where emergency work had been needed earlier. Several sources had told commissioners there was no longer an emergency.

Continuing the electrical work without money to pay for it and a master plan to govern it violated the rules of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, jeopardizing the authority's funding source.

Boston told the council that various officials had characterized the ongoing electrical problems as emergencies. And he said he didn't vote on the motion to continue the electrical work.

For more than 15 minutes, the council listened to a tape of the Housing Authority board meeting when the vote was taken, straining to hear the sometimes-garbled recording.

Boston concluded his case saying that he had accomplished his main goals on the housing board, getting rid of Trent and others affiliated with the authority's problems and helping the residents.

"My only regret is that there is still work to be done," Boston said.

"I understand that Mr. Boston is a passionate man. When we put him on the board, we wanted someone who would speak his mind," Pugh acknowledged.

But since then, there have been ongoing problems and Pugh said that, based on the evidence he had reviewed, he was recommending Boston be removed.

The council agreed, with only Richard Lewis voting no.

Later in the meeting, Pugh also recommended four people who had applied to be authority board members but one of his suggestions was soundly rejected by council member Lara Bradburn.

Pugh had recommended Richard Howell, a computer programmer and consultant, but Bradburn said Howell had been telling people she was related to the Trent family, which is "so absolutely incorrect."

She added, "He cannot be trusted with small things and this Housing Authority is a big thing."

After hearing her concerns, Pugh voted Howell down himself.

The council unanimously selected Pugh's picks of Jeanette Sotto, the county engineer's executive secretary; James Brooks Jr., past president of the Hernando Housing Authority, who has also served on the city's Parks and Recreation Board; and Yvette Taylor, a Housing Authority resident who works for Wal-Mart in transportation.

Pugh struggled with choosing a fourth new member after rejecting Howell. He said he had hoped for another resident of the authority's property but background checks had troubled him and he wanted to be sure the council had a good board.

Council member Joe Bernardini suggested the council appoint H. Paul Douglas, who is self-employed in environmental restoration. Bernardini noted that he had been attending meetings and showing an interest in the job.

Pugh agreed to recommend him and the rest of the council agreed.

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.

[Last modified August 21, 2007, 21:34:02]