Mayor Joseph P. Ganim
Bridgeport, CT
For Immediate Release For More Information:
September 27, 2016 Av Harris (203) 814-7992 av.harris@bridgeportct.gov
Mayor Ganim Appoints Three New Members to Park City Communities Public Housing Board of Directors
Veteran Housing Finance Professional, New Haven Housing Manager, DCF Social Worker Among Appointments made to Fill Vacated Terms of Housing Authority Board Members
Bridgeport, CT – Mayor Joe Ganim today announced that pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes 8-40 and 8-41 he has appointed three individuals to the board of directors of Park City Communities (formerly the Bridgeport Housing Authority) to serve out the remaining terms of board members who recently resigned. The three new members of the board of Park City Communities are all Bridgeport residents. Specifically, Mayor Ganim has made the following appointments:
Cowlis Andrews is a former city of Bridgeport Community Development Planner who has served as a Finance and Community Development Specialist for the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) for nearly 20 years. Andrews has managed teams at DECD in the Offices of Housing Finance, Brownfield Redevelopment, Municipal Development and Business and Industry Development. In addition, he has managed complex projects involving state, federal and municipal agencies with total budgets in excess of $1 Billion. Andrews will serve the remainder of the term recently vacated by the Reverend Sulton Stack. The term runs through December 31, 2020.
Theresa Ramos holds a Masters in Social Work from Sacred Heart University and has 13 years experience as a social worker and case manager for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families based in Bridgeport. In this role Ramos has dealt with many sensitive issues related to children and families. These include: direct clinical counseling and interventions for families in crisis, coordination of family case plans and home visits to check on welfare of children in distressed families, and preparation of assessments used in court filings related to adoptions, termination of parental rights. Ramos will serve the remainder of the term recently vacated by former board member Janet Ortiz. That term runs through December 31, 2018.
Richard Garcia has served as a Housing Manager and Assistant Manager for the Housing Authority of New Haven since 2012 and prior to that served as a maintenance worker for the authority. In his current capacity Garcia has supervised all maintenance staff, as well as monitored all accounts receivable and collection for unpaid rent, as well as managed the delivery of housing authority services to ensure compliance with finance, operations, residential and procurement regulations at the local, state and federal level. Garcia will serve the remainder of the term recently vacated by former board member Dulce Nieves. That term runs through December 31, 2019.
“These new members of the Park City Communities board of directors are consummate professionals, have strong ties to the community and know the residential population, and have significant experience in matters of housing management and finance,” said Mayor Ganim. “My administration has responded thoroughly to last month’s request by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to replace the former mayoral appointees to the board with individuals who possessed more professional background and expertise in issues related to housing management and public authority financing. Each of the new directors has been vetted and approved by our federal partners. Each is a resident of our city and I am sure they will serve our community and the 12,000 residents of public housing with distinction. I am happy to make these appointments because there is much work to be done to improve the quality of life for our residents and move public housing in Bridgeport into the 21st century.”
In a letter dated August 25, 2016, federal officials with the Department of Housing and Urban Development requested that Mayor Ganim use his statutory authority to replace the four mayoral appointees on the public housing authority board of directors within 30 days, citing numerous lapses in management and abrogation of fiduciary responsibility. The housing authority board members subsequently submitted their resignations to the Mayor’s office. Mayor Ganim expects to name one more new member to the Park City Communities board of directors in the near future to bring board membership to full strength.
-30-