Can a Wall Street Exec Run NYC Public Housing?

by Leigh Graham · 2009-05-24 09:00:00 UTC
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(In case you couldn't tell, I'm catching up with my NY Times newsfeed this weekend.)

Interesting article on possible class conflicts between Mayor Bloomberg's choice to run the NYC Housing Authority, former Lehman Bros. exec, John Rhea, and the public housing residents he'll serve:

Asked on Wednesday why he decided to pursue a job in the public sector, Mr. Rhea started his answer with a joke. “Well,” he said, “obviously I’m not taking the job for the pay.” His salary will be $189,700, far short of what many of his fellow M.B.A.’s are making.

It was the sort of joke that got laughs in City Hall, but might not have gotten the same reaction at the Grant Houses or other complexes. The average annual household income among public housing tenants is $22,728, and 22,000 of the 173,000 households in the system receive some form of public assistance. Tenants said they worry that Mr. Rhea will be unable to connect with them.

Exactly.

Rhea has financial planning experience and lots of connections, from the sound of it.  Good and good.  But can he fully grasp the needs, rights and desires of his 400k residents?  Time will tell, especially in the early days, we'll need to watch to see how much he gets out to connect, to embark on a "listening tour", if you will, especially to counter the skeptics. (And note: tenants' councils do not necessarily speak for tenants, and sometimes are considered more in allegiance to the Authority and powers-that-be than their fellow tenants.  But I'm not familiar with the NYC case here.)

Check out the Ivory Tower strawman he throws in to the mix, the reality that fewer than 20% of PH residents receive public assistance, and the throwaway comment that gasp!, PH residents read Shakespeare and write poetry!

Stay tuned.

(Btw, am I a broken record yet?)

(Photo of PH in Brooklyn by Payton Chung)

Leigh Graham
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