Gallup Housing Authority director resigns

A four-unit apartment building stands vacant along Arnold Drive in Gallup, as it and other units in the area await repairs. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

By Kevin Killough
Staff writer

GALLUP — The Gallup Housing Authority got shaken up after Executive Director Douglas Thorton resigned his position last week. According to the city manager’s office, GHA chairman Britt Howard had an emergency meeting last week after the resignation.

Two weeks ago, Thorton told the Independent that the Housing and Urban Development Department was refusing to release funds until widespread vacancies were filled. Of Gallup’s 267 public housing units, 93 had been vacant as of last week. Thorton explained that the funds were needed to do repairs and maintenance before the units could be occupied, effectively putting the GHA in a “Catch-22.”

But according to the HUD regional public affairs officer, Patricia Campbell, the department was holding the funds until GHA provided a needs assessment and detailed plan on filling the vacancies as required in a memorandum of agreement between GHA and HUD. She explained that the agreement arose out of a response to problems within the GHA over the course of two years.

City Manager Gerald Herrera said in an e-mail the mayor had met with the GHA board several times over the issue of unfilled vacancies. The GHA is a separate entity from the city and falls under the umbrella of HUD. The city’s only influence over its operations is through the mayor’s appointment of board members.

“The mayor is in the process of evaluating the expired board members’ terms, and is contemplating some re-appointments or new appointments to the board,” Herrera wrote.

Herrera added that the city intends to do anything it can within its power to see that the “Catch-22” is resolved and the vacancies can be filled.

“At this point the funds have been held up for about two years, so things are at a critical mass,” he wrote.

He also explained that the city had an economic interest in the matter.

“People in those units pay utilities. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s still revenue we can use,” Herrera said.

Herrera also wrote that the board is taking steps to turn around the GHA. Various options are being considered. The GHA may need to seek approval for prorated funds to do the repairs and maintenance to the unoccupied units within a given time frame. Herrera said he is hoping an agreement such as this can be worked out with HUD to release the remainder of the funding. And he cautioned that it could take months to implement.

Calls to the GHA went unanswered. Calls to GHA chairman Britt Howard were not immediately returned.