In a week where the trial of a President was concluding, and an innocent young man was hit with a fusillade of Police bullets, NYCHA news was not on the front pages. However, there was one interesting item on our favorite public housing authority.
It appeared in the February 12 issue of Newsday, and was reported by Liz Willen.
"With the city's housing authority in the midst of a management crisis, the report found an urgent need for repairs and major deterioration in two-thirds of the projects surveyed.
'These projects need some immediate attention,' said State Comptroller H. Carl McCall, whose report was based on data provided by the housing authority. 'These projects have to be a place where people feel safe and comfortable . . . there must be some attention.'"
According to what we've been told, there is less of a management crisis than there is a management vacuum. And, if certain real estate deals had been open to public bidding, there would have been much more money available for repairing the problems in our developments. But, that's probably just beating a dead horse, as it is certainly apparent that there is nobody in government that cares about the misuse of HUD funds.
So, we'll move onto a different subject. A subject suggested to us in one of the email we receive from anonymous email accounts.
The Spotlight's
DUMB Awards!
(Despicable - Underhanded - Mean - Boss.)
With this issue, we will begin a continuing, albeit sporadic, series on particularly incompetent actions taken by, or directed to be done at the behest of, managerial/supervisory personnel within the Authority. In some of the upcoming stories, you'll be treated to a look at how bad things can get when managers/supervisors/executives are appointed due to political connections. Although there are sporadic reports of monumental foolishness even in private industry, we know that government agencies will match and handily beat any industry in the amount of idiocy that occurs on a daily basis.
Other stories in coming issues will highlight those incompetent managers who try and cover-up for their own incompetence by placing blame somewhere below their pay grade or by giving out misleading (read: FALSE/LIES) counseling memos to anyone that the manager believes is NOT politically connected.
If you have information on someone you wish to nominate as a member of the Spotlight's "DUMB" Hall of Shame, drop us a note.
(In order that your "DUMB" supervisor does not get a chance to retaliate against you, please try to send a story that is NOT about yourself. Choose something that took place between your boss and someone else under his direction.)
(In the background, you hear a raucous crowd.
They are asked to calm down.
You then hear the noise of an envelope being ripped open . . . )
And this Issue's winner is . . .
Mr. KERN!"
The memo below was composed by Mr. Kern of Section 8 Housing. For some reason, he thought that the way to get the most from those under you is to humiliate them, in writing, at an official meeting. That might explain why he distributed the following memo to all the attendees of a Senior Staff Meeting last week. We reprint it below, in full:
Further Adventures in Leased Housing
Yes, the saga continues. Check your currency with the latest staff shenanigans by circling your answers to the questions below. The correct answers will be announced after the break. Special awards merited by your results are at the bottom.
Which Department record did Hasni break on January 24-25?
- 1) highest vertical leap
- 2) most consecutive 50058 data entries
- 3) most 50058 data entries in one day
- 4) most consecutive hours of 50058 data entry
- 5) most obscenities muttered in one day
The most persuasive part of Kern's last memo to Graziano about the 50058 data entry issue quoted which distinguished philosopher?
- 1) Freud
- 2) Sartre
- 3) John Paul II
- 4) Giuliani
- 5) Stengel
The Leased Housing Manager who currently has the longest commute in distance is ?
- 1) Thompson
- 2) Siegal
- 3) Fischer
- 4) Rembert
- 5) Castellano
After Stockett's first day with Leased Housing, she declared her intention to ?
- 1) return to the Operations Department
- 2) run in the NYC Marathon
- 3) transfer to the Computer Services Department
- 4) extend her training this week for about 3 months
- 5) take an extended vacation
As part of his trip to Israel the last 2 weeks, Parnes ?
- 1) conferred with his son
- 2) conferred with King Hussein
- 3) conferred with Saddam Hussein
- 4) declined a recruiting offer to join the Israeli army
- 5) announced that he was not a candidate for Prime Minister of Israel
The Leased Housing manager living closest to a prospective borough office site to which he/she will not be assigned is ?
- 1) Jacobson
- 2) Bruno
- 3) Glassman
- 4) Shedlin
- 5) We don't know yet
SPECIAL AWARDS
BASED ON SCORING:
6 correct answers
- You get to represent Kern at all remaining Board Meetings for 1999.
4-5 correct answers
- you get to represent Kern at all remaining TSAP revision committee meetings for 1999.
2-3 correct answers
- you will be transferred to the General Services Department to supervise handling of certified (accountable?) mail from Leased Housing
1 correct answer
- you will be transferred to the Computer Services Department
0 correct answers
- you will join Mayor Giuliani's team searching for a new Chairperson.
© 1999 Public Housing Spotlight and John Ballinger. All rights reserved.
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