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The following newspaper stories are from the Journal News web site and have already been posted for reading: Controversy envelops Peekskill Housing Authority By Marcela Rojas The Journal News (Original Publication: March 8, 2007) PEEKSKILL - Plans to suspend the executive director of the Peekskill Housing Authority were foiled this week after housing board commissioners failed to follow proper procedures. Gheevarghese "Thomas" Than-kachan, who has headed the housing authority for four years, evaded the temporary removal Monday after it was determined that board members did not give timely notification of their meeting. A week ago, four of the six commissioners met to suspend Thankachan, but had only given two days' public notice of their special meeting, not the requisite 10, officials said. "They had a secret meeting and that is improper and illegal," said Thankachan, who previously served as the housing authority's legal counsel. "They gave me no reason as to why they wanted to suspend me." The matter has been tabled until March 15, said Chairman Mel Bolden, a Common Council member. Bolden said he was not notified of the last meeting and did not attend it. He declined to comment on why the board wants to suspend Thankachan and whether he agreed with the plan. Thankachan said he suspected the city was trying to remove him so it can get rid of public housing. Some in the community contend that Mayor John Testa wants to sell Bohlmann Towers, a federally subsidized apartment complex on Main Street where police are often called to handle complaints, to private developers. Fueling this theory is the mayor's recent reappointment to the housing commission of Leesther Brown, a woman who some complain is cantankerous and regularly harasses tenants, particularly Hispanics, and housing authority staff members. "The mayor and city administration are using Leesther Brown to demobilize the housing authority," said Nick Mottern, a Peekskill activist who lives in Hastings-on-Hudson. "She was reappointed to the housing authority after numerous complaints were filed with Peekskill police because of her behavior. She has some, I would say, pretty serious emotional problems." Testa said complaints against Brown were unfounded and politically motivated. "These are activists who are trying to cause unrest in the community. These are people trumping up issues that are not true," Testa said. "There have been no laws broken by this woman. She is a member of the community who has tried to make public housing a safer and better place to live." Testa said he had no agenda to get rid of Bohlmann Towers. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. It's a HUD-owned building," he said, referring to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Councilwoman Drew Claxton, a Democrat, said she had questioned the Republican mayor on Brown's reappointment, as well as other housing board appointments in the past year. The appointments were made without consulting the City Council, she said. "There have been a number of letters written to the mayor from Thomas (Thankachan) about Leesther Brown harassing tenants and complaints brought to the police," Claxton said. "The question is, 'Is this an appropriate appointment and what is the strategy behind this?' " Claxton said Thankachan has done a good job and there have been no grievances against him, except for Brown's. "The housing authority has made a lot of improvements both to the building (Bohlmann Towers) and the quality of life to residents there," Claxton said. "I don't see what benefit destabilizing the Peekskill Housing Authority does for our community." Brown said the whole issue has been muddled, adding that the board was only trying to improve the conditions of the housing authority's properties. The agency oversees five apartment complexes and nine other units in one- and two-family homes. "This clash is with management style," Brown said. "There's a misalignment between the board and management and it's unhealthy. All of this is based on the safety and security of the tenants." Brown said she is appalled by the conditions at Bohlmann Towers and the Dunbar Heights apartments, with frequent drug arrests, gunfire and weapons being thrown out of windows. "I'm just trying to make a difference and people don't understand that," she said. "I've never done anything wrong." Peekskill police said they've investigated complaints against Brown but have found nothing criminal. Brown said Claxton was targeting her because of her allegations regarding the councilwoman's son and his relationship with a girl who was murdered in 1989. Claxton impeded the investigation by not allowing police to take a DNA sample from her son, Freddie, following the murder of Angela Correa, Brown said. Jeffrey Deskovic served 15 years in prison for the murder after he was wrongfully convicted. He has been released and another man - not Claxton's son - has confessed to the killing. Brown took Deskovic in after his release from prison last year. "Drew Claxton is after me because of Jeffrey Deskovic," Brown said. Claxton said a DNA sample was never requested and that her son never had a relationship with Correa, although it was intimated at Deskovic's trial that he did. "This is an outright lie," Claxton said. "It is harassing. It is retaliatory. This is yet another typical outbreak and her attempts at trying to reverse something." Peekskill Housing Authority board suspends director By MARCELA ROJAS THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original publication: March 16, 2007) PEEKSKILL - The executive director of the Peekskill Housing Authority, Gheevarghese "Thomas" Thankachan, was suspended from his job last night effective immediately. At its general meeting, the agency's board voted 4-2 in favor of the 30-day suspension, said Chairman Mel Bolden, a city councilman who was among the two against the measure. No reasons were given behind Thankachan's suspension, Bolden said. Board member Leesther Brown said it was a personnel issue that will be explained later. The housing board will reconvene April 19 to explain its decision, Bolden said. The Housing Authority's administrative assistant, Lisa Shirin, will serve as interim executive director. The authority manages several low-income housing complexes in the city, including Bohlmann Towers and Dunbar Heights. Suspension of Peekskill housing director sparks controversy By MARCELA ROJAS THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original publication: March 18, 2007) Peekskill - The suspension of the head of the Peekskill Housing Authority has caused a maelstrom of controversy in the city, with many arguing that his removal is the first step toward getting rid of public housing. The agency's board of commissioners voted 4-2 Thursday night in favor of the immediate 30-day suspension with pay of executive director Gheevarghese "Thomas" Thankachan. The director makes about $90,000 a year. The action has mobilized many Housing Authority tenants, who packed the gathering and Monday night's Common Council meeting in support of Thankachan, to speak out against one of the more vocal and, many claim, irascible housing board members. "The only comment I can make is that they did not give me a reason," said Thankachan, who has led the Housing Authority for four years and served as its legal counsel before that. "Why they did it, I don't know." The board's chairman, Mel Bolden, said Friday that Thankachan was suspended for incompetence or misconduct, though no explanations for his temporary departure were given at Thursday night's meeting. Bolden, who voted against the suspension, said the four commissioners have until the board's next public session on April 19 to prove the charges. "I do believe Thomas was working with the community, but other board members perhaps think that there is a need for a changing of the guard," said Bolden, who is also a Common Council member. "I think he was doing a good job." Lisa Shirin, the Housing Authority's administrative assistant, will be interim executive director. Board member Leesther Brown said Thankachan's suspension was a personnel matter that will be disclosed later. Brown, who was recently reappointed by Mayor John Testa, has been the focal point of this contentious issue. Many contend that she and other commissioners appointed by the mayor in the past year are part of his strategy to sell Bohlmann Towers, a federally subsidized apartment complex on Main Street, to private developers. The Peekskill Housing Authority oversees several low-income residential buildings in the city, including Bohlmann and Dunbar Heights on Highland Avenue. "I wouldn't hold the mayor's hand if he was trying to get rid of public housing," Brown said. "I'm trying to get these people a better quality of life. They deserve that." But many have accused Brown of regularly harassing and threatening tenants and Housing Authority staff members. While complaints against her have been filed with the Peekskill Police Department, none has risen to the level of a crime, police said. At the meeting, John Gilleo, president of the Dunbar Heights Tenants Association, presented the Housing Authority a petition signed by 150 people, mostly Dunbar residents, calling for Brown's removal and to keep Thankachan as the authority's executive director, he said. Gilleo was told to give the petition to the mayor. "In my heart, I feel that they are trying to take public housing away from the needy," said Gilleo, a six-year Dunbar resident. "If they can get enough authority from the city, they can take the buildings." Testa vehemently denied any such plan. The city has no authority over the apartment complexes, he said, because they are owned by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. He further maintained he has nothing to do with the board's decision-making. "People need to calm down and let the board do their job," Testa said. "I'm hoping that in 30 days, tempers will calm, the agitators will be ignored and the situation of public housing in Peekskill will be better and safer." In the meantime, Gilleo said, a peaceful demonstration is planned for 6:30 p.m. tomorrow in front of City Hall, 840 Main St. "They railroaded Thomas. He has taken the buildings to a higher level, proposing scholarships for residents and a job fair," said Sandra Dolman, chairman of the People's Housing Coalition in Peekskill. "There's been a game plan for years to get people out and make way for co-ops." Democrats call for probe of Peekskill housing board By MARCELA ROJAS THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original Publication: March 25, 2007) PEEKSKILL - The Democrats on the Common Council are seeking an investigation into the Peekskill Housing Authority board after complaints about one of the commissioners and the suspension of the agency's executive director. Councilmembers Don Bennett, Mary Foster and Drew Claxton have sent a letter to several state and federal agencies asking them to review the Republican mayor's reappointment of Leesther Brown to the PHA board and reports accusing her of harassing and intimidating tenants and authority staff. Mayor John Testa, they argued, does not follow the law, appointing members without consulting the city attorney or the board's chairman. "It's not clear that the Housing Authority board really represents the best interests of Peekskill," Foster said. Letters were sent March 14 to the U.S. Justice and Housing and Urban Development departments, to Rep. John Hall, D-Dover Plains, and to state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Testa contends that he can appoint board members at his discretion and that the Democrats' actions are without merit. "It's a silly political stunt," Testa said. "There's nothing to investigate. I'm not concerned at all." The controversy comes in advance of what is expected to be a hot political season in Peekskill, with the mayor's and three council seats up for election. There are now four Republicans and three Democrats on the Common Council. Brown has been at the center of this divisive issue that saw the 30-day suspension of Housing Authority Director Gheevarghese "Thomas" Thankachan this month and has many tenants concerned that the city is trying to get rid of public housing. "It's time that outside agencies look into this," said Darrell Davis, a former chairman of the Housing Authority board. "This is an extension of a problem that has gone on for years in a community that has been targeted for gentrification. They've been looking for a majority of the board to get rid of the executive director because he won't go along with the plan." Dozens of residents came out in support of Thankachan at a March 12 Common Council meeting, and more than 150 people signed a petition that called for Brown's removal. The PHA oversees several federally subsidized residential buildings in the city, including Bohlmann Towers and Dunbar Heights. Brown denied having harassed tenants and maintained that she is trying to make public housing better in Peekskill. Though complaints about her have been filed with police, no criminal charges have been brought. "This is another vain attempt to slander my name and bring bad light to the mayor. It's an election year," she said. "If the government wants to spend time on something that's totally untrue, then that's the taxpayers' money." The letter also asks the agencies to look into a March 5 housing board meeting to suspend Thankachan that involved four of the six commissioners and Peekskill's corporation counsel, William Florence. Thankachan's temporary removal was foiled that evening after it was determined that the board did not give timely public notice of its gathering. The Democrats claim that the meeting was improper and illegal and that Florence's participation represented a conflict of interest, Bennett said. Testa said Florence was there on the advice of Mirza Negron Morales, director of HUD's Office of Public Housing in New York. "She suggested that I get corporation counsel involved to the point where he helped them through the process," Testa said. "He wasn't involved with their decision making." Morales was among the recipients of the Democrats' letter. "We'll carefully review it to determine whether we have any jurisdiction or authority in the issues being raised," HUD spokesman Adam Glantz said. He also said it was not a conflict of interest for the city's attorney to advise the housing board. "The Housing Authority is a part of the city," he said. "They're a city entity created by the state." Claxton said the recent incidents have generated a lot of questions that need to be answered. "An honest and open investigation will protect all the residents of Peekskill," she said. "We want a higher office to shed some light on what is going on with the city of Peekskill and the Housing Authority board, if anything." |
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