Rochester mayor Lovely Warren unveiled proposed budget for next year. Credit: FILE PHOTO

Mayor Lovely Warren is demanding answers about a recent shakeup at the Rochester Housing Authority.

Last week, RHA board members ousted executive director Alex Castro and picked City Council member Adam McFadden to take his place. At the time, the reasons for Castro’s termination weren’t clear. Today, in a terse letter to board chair George Moses, Warren says she was promised an explanation.

“To date I have not received the explanation which I requested,” Warren’s letter said. “I am now asking you to immediately explain why Mr. Castro was removed, otherwise I will have no choice but to get more involved.”

Later in the letter, she wrote that if she doesn’t receive the answers today, she will call for the board members’ resignations. Warren recently appointed several members to the authority, including Moses.

And Warren wrote that while she understands that an interim replacement for Castro was needed, she expects the RHA board to conduct a formal search for the most qualified candidate.

This morning, McFadden said he wasn’t aware of the mayor’s letter.

The board’s decision to hire McFadden has come under scrutiny. City Council member Jackie Ortiz has asked the city’s Board of Ethics and its Office of Public Integrity to review the appointment, and to investigate Castro’s dismissal. And former RHA board chair Carol Schwartz has said that McFadden, as a sitting member of City Council, is barred from the position by the terms of the authority’s annual contract with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. A HUD spokesperson says the agency is reviewing the matter.

RHA board members are holding a press conference this morning to discuss McFadden’s appointment. 

Mayor Warren Letter to RHA

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This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2014.

Covers county government and whatever else comes my way. Greyhound dad; vegetarian; attempted photographer with a love for film and fixer; sometimes cyclist.

7 replies on “Warren wants answers on RHA dismissal”

  2. Moses was either seriously misguided by the Mayor and now needs to put his head in the sand, or he is simply arrogant by doing something that would clearly jeopardize the Mayor in which case he should publicly apologize. Either way he and vice chair Page need to go. There selection process was simply childish. They should not be in positions where they can so easily abuse power.

  3. The attorney to Moses’ left at the presser is Todd Bullard, long time friend and campaign advisor to Warren. He hosted a fundraiser for her at Harris Beach last year. Hard to believe they aren’t coordinating.

    The real costs of this Castro ouster are adding up. 5 lawyers, 2 firms? A forensic audit? That presser alone cost thousands of dollars. Not to mention Castro’s severance package. It’s troubling that Moses seems to be sparing no expense to cover his behind. Is the full board authorizing these expenses or does he have control of the checkbook? From what I can tell, the RHA board stopped posting its board minutes when the new board (Moses’ board) took over. A public body is required to conduct its business in public, not in secret. If the board’s claims are legit, should be some public record of these ‘questionable business practices’ and ‘stonewalling’ in the minutes, no?

  4. Todd Bullard used to be a Monroe County Legislator and was the minority leader in 2000-2002(?). Chris Wilmot was an ally of his. He was overthrown by Jose Cruz and Joe Morelle. He works with Harris Beach,

  7. Instead of wasting all of our time and effort on the RHA…I would like to see Lovley get all questions answered regarding teen intervention programs by adding more than one location; creating jobs; police reorganization and making the streets of “two Rochester’s” safer for all folks so we can come to the neighborhoods to spend money ( sales tax rev. increase); body cameras; educational improvements in graduation rates as the School Board cannot seem to fix it after 30 years; abandoned homes and business (2000 or more properties). That is what I would like to focus on !!! Thank you however for sending police along with clergy to improve RPD and Community Relations and build trust once again.

    Craig R. Moffitt

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