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Hernando Today

County Housing Board Ready To Talk Merger

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By TONY MARRERO

Published: January 25, 2008

Hernando Today

BROOKSVILLE - The door that could lead to the merging of the Brooksville Housing Authority and its Hernando County counterpart has been cracked.

The Hernando County Housing Authority board voted unanimously Wednesday night to invite the Brooksville housing board and the city council to talk about that option.

County housing board members agreed that it was time to end speculation and air the possibility publicly, said Anna Liisa Covell, who made the motion to extend the invitation to the board's next regular meeting slated for Feb. 27.

"That way we can have an open discussion in public to get their thoughts or intentions, and they can hear ours as well," Covell said in an interview Thursday.

"We all agreed that we're tired of the conjecture and would like to sit down and have public communication on the issue," county housing board member Paul Sullivan said. Both Sullivan and Covell said that past and current Brooksville authority board members, as well as city council members, have made queries to county housing authority officials about the possibility of such a merger.

There also has been much public talk by Brooksville Mayor David Pugh and his fellow city council members about whether the city should cut ties with the authority. Officials have mentioned a merger with the county as an option.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development oversees the authority. The city's only role is to appoint and remove board members. That involvement has been anything but routine, however, since the indictment and conviction of former executive director Betty Trent on charges of stealing money from the authority.

The city council has voted in recent months since then to remove four board members for inefficiency and neglect of duty. Pugh handpicked three new members and gave them the directive to explore, among other options, a merger with the county authority.

Beth Garman, chairwoman of the county housing board, couldn't be reached Thursday.

However, Covell and Sullivan said that the county housing board has reached a firm consensus about one thing: Before any merger could happen, the troubled Brooksville operation would have to be given a clean bill of health by HUD.

"I would not consider it unless all the problems were taken care of," Sullivan said of a merger. He added, however, that he has long wondered "why there are two separate agencies" in Hernando County.

"It seems to me you could save money and do a better job of providing housing if it were consolidated," he said.

The Brooksville organization is undergoing an extensive overhaul under HUD's guidance to correct the accounting mess left by Trent's administration.

Current director Ronnie McLean has reported progress on that front with the help of visiting HUD officials. McLean also is working to improve conditions at both of the authority's affordable housing complexes. Members of the Brooksville housing board and city council members reached Wednesday reacted favorably to the news of the county board's willingness to talk about a merger.

James Brooks, vice-chairman of the Brooksville housing board, said he suspects such a move would save taxpayers money and result in better housing for low-income city residents.

"The less money you have to spend to get people housing is what you're after," Brooks said.

Brooks is a former member of the county housing board and said he has faith in the county housing authority's executive director, Don Singer, who was in that post when Brooks was on the board.

City council member Lara Bradburn echoed that.

"The county housing authority is administered very well," Bradburn said. "Donnie Singer has been an excellent leader, and they employ the basic principles we'd like to see at the Brooksville Housing Authority."

Council member Joe Bernardini said such a merger "is the direction being pushing probably for the last eight months."

While Bernardini said he wants to "explore all options," he said he suspects the merger "would be a great idea."

Vice Mayor Frankie Burnett said he is willing to consider the option.

Pugh did not return a call seeking comment.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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