With Hoboken Housing Authority Acting Executive Director Bob DiVincent’s contract expiring, the board of commissioners approved a resolution nominating the agency’s CFO to fill his post as their nationwide ED search continues.Â
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“The shared services agreement with West New York expires by its own terms at the end of this month, and so we went into closed session because we wanted to discuss how we’re going to proceed moving forward,” the Board Chairwoman Dana Wefer explained to the crowd after about a two-hour closed session.
The HHA entered into a shared services agreement with the West New York Housing Authority last summer, where DiVincent is the executive director, which took effect on September 1, 2014.
According to the contract, WNYHA was able to bill the HHA for $77,250 in 2014 for shared services, with the figure being slightly higher for 2015: $79, 825. Both figures towards DiVincent’s HHA salary.
While a figure was also set aside for 2016, the agreement had to be “expressly renewed” on annual basis and the board opted against that this time around.
The resolution appointed HHA Chief Financial Officer Emil Kotherithara as acting ED (pending approval from the state Department of Community Affairs) for a time period of 45 to 75 days.
The measure was approved by a vote of 6-0-1, with Commissioner David Denning abstaining on the vote.
“I’m proud of what we achieved in the last year, I think we’re on a path to bringing you to where you really deserve to be,” DiVincent said in his departure speech.
He also stated that the authority continues to improve, with the recent approval of a $1 million grant, as well as pushing for fair market rents of the section 8 program to 120 percent, later citing his satisfaction for six generators being installed under his watch.
DiVincent replaced Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia (D-33), who is now running for the Hoboken 6th Ward Council seat, who was fired as HHA executive director one year ago at a raucous meeting at city hall.
Commissioners David Mello, Jeannie Rodriguez, James Sanford and Rob Davis all gave DiVincent a personal thank you for his efforts in the HHA before he left the meeting.
Kotherithara was not present at the meeting last night and could not be reached for comment on Friday regarding his new position.
A copy of the shared services agreement between the WNYHA and the HHA can be read here.
