PEEKSKILL N.Y. - Peekskill Housing Authority Director Harold Phipps will not have his contract renewed but will serve on an interim basis.
The Peekskill Housing Authority (PHA) Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to not renew the Phipps' annual contract, according to a statement released by Peekskill Housing Authority Chair Ron Abad. The Board has asked Mr. Phipps to stay on board until a new Executive Director has been selected," Abad stated. "The PHA Board has hired a professional search firm to conduct the search."
The board of commissioners is a seven member unit with five appointments made by the mayor and two persons selected as tenant representatives by the residents. Currently there is one appointment seat and one tenant seat open. Phipps, whose contract was renewed in June of 2010, has been a target of complaints by some residents who have alledged he has shown unprofessional and abusive behavior towards them, such as yelling at residents and letting himself into resident's apartments unannounced. Phipps has denied the allegations. The Peekskill Housing Authority has had numerous problems in recent years. Former Director Christine Scofield was fired just months after being hired in 2008 and the director before her, Gheevarghese Thankachan, was fired following a series of disputes with board members and accusations of mismanagement.
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