Housing authority to discuss Harkless situation
The Fayette County Housing Authority will hold an executive session when it meets today at 5:30 p.m., presumably to discuss the fate of Executive Director Thomas L. Harkless in the aftermath of a federal ruling that the authority must repay $108,000. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development made that determination after analyzing the authority’s response to its initial finding of impropriety in the way the authority did business with two firms that employed Harkless’ relatives.
Basically, HUD said that the authority circumvented normal procurement procedures, sidestepped federal contracting requirements and ignored apparent conflicts of interest in dealing with Chestnut Ridge Communications and Niche Networks.
The former firm was hired to perform phone system work, while the latter was hired to perform emergency computer system work. As the authority’s designated contracting officer, Harkless ultimately is responsible for ensuring the integrity of the contracting process.
Board members Angela M. Zimmerlink, who requested that HUD look into the Harkless matter, and Beverly Beal, who brought the alleged conflicts to the board’s attention, have been the only ones to speak to the Herald-Standard on the issue.
Beal has advocated that the board, as the authority’s policymaking body, suspend Harkless. Zimmerlink has said that the board should address Harkless’ punishment in private executive session, as permitted under the state Sunshine Law, but should address the repayment issue and all other related matters in the public portion of today’s meeting.
Board Chairman Kenneth L. Johnson, generally an ardent Harkless supporter, board vice chairman James V. Bitonti, who joined the board earlier this year, and board member Nancy Sutton, who serves as the board’s tenant representative, have been mum about the issue.
None of them has returned telephone calls seeking reaction to the recent HUD ruling or to speculate on what, if anything, the board should do to Harkless.
Beal has used the rationale that since Harkless found it appropriate to suspend finance director Sonya Over for 30 days, the board should mete out the same type of punishment to him.
Also on the agenda for today’s meeting, the five-member board will vote to award several contracts related to upgrades at the Belle Vernon Apartments senior citizen high-rise and at its Fairchance housing complex, which is composed of single-family homes.
The board also will vote to approve a lease agreement for ECHO Day Care Center; to award insurance contracts to HARIE, a consortium of housing and redevelopment authorities; and to write off vacated accounts, which is done every quarter of the calendar year.