Zimmerlink plans to add items to housing authority agenda
In what could be her final meeting as a Fayette County Housing Authority board member, Angela M. Zimmerlink plans to bring up several items left off the agenda even though she called for today’s special meeting to specifically address those issues. Zimmerlink said that upon receiving the agenda for today’s 9:30 a.m. meeting, she faxed Executive Director Thomas L. Harkless notice of her intent to air her concerns under the “other matters” segment of the meeting.
“I sent a fax (Monday) morning to Tom Harkless. I said that of the items I listed in calling for the special meeting, not one item is listed on the agenda,” said Zimmerlink. “I told him that I’ll be bringing them up under ‘other matters that can properly be addressed by the board.’ I (also) provided him with a list of the files and information that I needed. I’ll be there at 8 o’clock (this) morning and the meeting’s not until 9:30.”
While acceding to Zimmerlink’s request for a special meeting, the authority apparently decided to cancel its scheduled Dec. 6 board meeting, as the agenda calls for a vote to hold its next regular meeting on Jan. 10.
Zimmerlink may not be around for that one, as only county Commissioner Sean M. Cavanagh has openly voiced support for reappointing her once at the expiration of her current five-year term. Commission Chairman Vincent A. Vicites has said he hasn’t made up his mind, while Commissioner Ronald M. Nehls has said he wants to replace Zimmerlink with someone who would interact more positively with other board members.
High on Zimmerlink’s list of discussion topics is a total of $67,000 in payments to the Cohen & Grigsby law firm of Pittsburgh, including $1,300 spent by the public housing authority to perform legal research on taking action against a board member for failing to properly carry out those duties.
Board Chairman Kenneth L. Johnson said he authorized that work after he and Harkless were told by HUD Pittsburgh official James Cassidy that a “rogue” board member at the FCHA had overstepped the boundary of that position in dealing with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Zimmerlink believes that the legal research is aimed at her and is related to the fact that she contacted HUD regarding the authority’s business dealings with two firms that employed Harkless’ relatives.
Richard Nemoytin, head of HUD’s Pittsburgh office, who earlier this year said that all official comments had to come from him, said, “Who’s Ken Johnson?” when contacted last week for comment on Johnson’s comment regarding Cassidy.
After being told that Johnson was the chairman of the FCHA board, Nemoytin initially said that he’d have to check with Cassidy regarding the veracity of Johnson’s comment. He then changed his mind when informed that the authority had authorized the law firm to research the matter of essentially taking action against a board member.
“If there’s litigation involved, there won’t be any reaction from us,” said Nemoytin on Thursday.
But Zimmerlink said she doubts that Cassidy ever made the comment. “When Ken Johnson told the Herald-Standard that he authorized Cohen & Grigsby because HUD suggested it, I did not believe him,” said Zimmerlink. “I doubted that HUD would suggest legal action against a board member who questioned violations of the law.
“HUD’s own Web site is set up for people who suspect fraud, waste and abuse of public housing dollars and public housing practices to report it to HUD.”
Zimmerlink said that in addition to questioning the work done by Cohen & Grigsby, she plans to talk today about the housing authority’s small purchase practices, an area where she asked eight months ago for detailed reports covering the past three years but hadn’t gotten them.
“I believe there’s a lot of piece-mealing going on,” said Zimmerlink. Small purchases cover items under $10,000 that don’t have to be competitively bid.
Zimmerlink also plans to question the extent of the authority’s use of consultants, again noting that she asked for that financial information back in March and “never got it.”
Canceling the December board meeting, said Zimmerlink, is “a continuation of their practices … of not wanting to discuss things in an open public forum.”
Regarding her continued tenure on the five-person housing authority board, whose members serve as unpaid volunteers, Zimmerlink said she remains hopeful of reappointment.
“I’m not giving up on this, whether (anyone) thinks that this is my last meeting (or not). I’m going to trust that all three commissioners are going to do what they were elected to do, and that is to appoint people to this board – and all other boards – who they believe will continue to do a good job and carry out their duties,” said Zimmerlink.
“There is not one instance in the entire five years that any county commissioner or anybody else would be able to show that I did not carry out my duty. I don’t create negativism in the housing authority and I attempt to work with the board members as well as the executive director. If the rules and regulations were followed, we wouldn’t have HUD findings. And I wouldn’t have to contact HUD.”