The following statement was issued today by National Action Network (NAN) Northeast Regional Director Kirsten John Foy.
“It
is for the following reasons that I stand in support of Shola Olatoye
remaining as Chairwoman of the New York City Housing Authority:
"Shola has outlined an aggressive vision for NYCHA reform that has been
absent for generations and should be given the opportunity to execute
that vision. Shola inherited the single largest -- and therefore most
fiscally deprived and neglected -- stock of public
housing in the country; to the tune of approximately $20 billion
dollars. No single chairperson, or single administration for that
matter, can halt and reverse the trajectory of that degree of decline in
a mere handful of years.
"Second, Shola, as the highest profile Black woman in New York City government, and has used her considerable power and position to effectively advocate for not only the residents of public housing, but also for women generally and women of color more specifically.
"Third, Shola has been an effective liaison with HUD leadership, negotiating a less painful budgetary hit from Washington than was originally planned by HUD Secretary Ben Carson. Shola has also successfully advocated for nine-figure investments from the city and state for NYCHA infrastructure improvements -- an unprecedented amount of funding not seen in generations.
"It's easy to see what's wrong with the New York City Housing Authority -- but what is less obvious is what other systemic failures have been avoided specifically because of Shola's leadership. It is my belief that the residents of NYCHA would be better served with a collaborative all-hands-on-deck approach, as opposed to the scapegoating and shuffling of chairs on the deck of the Titanic that we are witnessing now.
"Finally: Who would -- or who could -- replace Shola and be able to magically transform NYCHA and reverse a generations-old trend of government divestment and neglect of the largest public housing system in the United States of America? I don't think Harry Potter is available.”
"Second, Shola, as the highest profile Black woman in New York City government, and has used her considerable power and position to effectively advocate for not only the residents of public housing, but also for women generally and women of color more specifically.
"Third, Shola has been an effective liaison with HUD leadership, negotiating a less painful budgetary hit from Washington than was originally planned by HUD Secretary Ben Carson. Shola has also successfully advocated for nine-figure investments from the city and state for NYCHA infrastructure improvements -- an unprecedented amount of funding not seen in generations.
"It's easy to see what's wrong with the New York City Housing Authority -- but what is less obvious is what other systemic failures have been avoided specifically because of Shola's leadership. It is my belief that the residents of NYCHA would be better served with a collaborative all-hands-on-deck approach, as opposed to the scapegoating and shuffling of chairs on the deck of the Titanic that we are witnessing now.
"Finally: Who would -- or who could -- replace Shola and be able to magically transform NYCHA and reverse a generations-old trend of government divestment and neglect of the largest public housing system in the United States of America? I don't think Harry Potter is available.”
Source: Mercury
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