The new chairman of the city’s beleaguered housing authority is to be paid more than the President of the United State to turn things around for over 400,000 New Yorkers living in public housing.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Secretary Ben Carson last week announced Gregory Russ as chair of the New York City Housing Authority, a job that comes with a new $400,000 pay check.
Russ has more than 25 years of experience working in public housing across the country, most recently as CEO of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and as the former Executive Director of the Cambridge Housing Authority. “In a national search, Greg Russ stands out as someone with the guts to make big changes and the heart to do right by public housing residents,” said Mayor de Blasio.
“Greg has shown he can secure residents the repairs they’ve been waiting for and strengthen public housing for the next generation. He’s shown again and again that he can listen to residents, build trust and improve people’s lives. I’m thrilled to welcome him to NYCHA.” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Earlier this year, Secretary Carson appointed a housing monitor to oversee NYCHA the wake of what was described as systematic failures within the authority. Mayor Bill de Blasio signed on to the plan to end a federal lawsuit over hazards in the city’s public housing portfolio that include lead-based paint, mold, cold, vermin, and more.
The agreement also mandated that the city inject $2.2 billion throughout the next 10 years to address issues.
In just the past several months, NYCHA-owned buildings have made headlines for a number of glaring deficiencies including problems with heating and hot water that left hundreds of residents in the Bronx in the cold. Other stories include toxic mold, lead paint, and unmitigated flooding.
At the height of the lead paint scandal last year, former chair Shola Olatoye stepped down form a job that then paid her $231,000 per year.
The President of the United States is paid $400,000 a year.
