Sunday, August 15, 2010

City Housing Authority Boss Facing Foreclusure

An incredible Philadelphia Story from the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jennifer Lin.
Read the whole story at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The mortgage foreclosure crisis has claimed an unlikely victim: Carl R. Greene, executive director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA).
Wells Fargo Bank has foreclosed on Greene's $615,035 condominium in the upscale Naval Square development in the city's Schuylkill section.
In a lawsuit filed July 27, Wells Fargo said the amount in dispute was $386,685.22.
Greene, 53, runs the nation's fourth-largest public housing agency and is one of the highest-paid public officials in the city. His salary is $306,370, and last year he got a $44,188 bonus.
Kirk Dorn, a spokesman for Greene, confirmed Thursday that the housing chief was "involved in a dispute with his mortgage company."
"It's unfortunate that the dispute is now public, but he plans to deal with the matter in private," Dorn said.
Dorn added that Greene "knows people will find it hard to understand how he could be involved in a possible foreclosure proceeding on his home, but he would prefer not to say more about it at this time."
Greene bought his three-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot condo in 2007. Wells Fargo is not seeking to evict him.
Like any other Philadelphia homeowner threatened with losing a house, Greene will have to participate in the city's mortgage-foreclosure program. He is scheduled to appear Sept. 16 in the courtroom of Judge Annette Rizzo.
PHA, a state authority, is funded mostly by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is responsible for providing housing for Philadelphia's poor. It maintains rowhouses and apartments for low-income residents and develops affordable housing for purchase.
Greene took over PHA in 1998, after serving as executive director of the Detroit Housing Commission. He also worked for housing authorities in Atlanta and Washington.

One has to wonder: How is it that this man makes more than $300,00 per year (AND gets a $40,000 bonus) but still can't seem to make his mortgage payments?
And why can't he come forward and speak for himself?
His salary is paid for by the public, is it not?
So, doesn't he owe the public an explanation?

No comments: