Four members of the Rensselaer Housing Authority's board of commissioners have resigned, leaving the agency without enough people to conduct official business and nearly 200 families uncertain about who is in charge of their homes. The resignations, which former board Chairman Scott Rogers says took effect on October 12, followed months of infighting that boiled over into personal attacks and disputes over the authority's leadership.
Without a quorum, the board cannot approve budgets, set policies, or sign off on certain financial decisions, according to cbs6albany.com. The outlet reports that the lapse could potentially affect payments to vendors and landlords participating in housing assistance programs, though it has not confirmed whether any payments have actually been delayed. NEWS10 ABC reports more bluntly that the authority cannot pay its bills without a board, and that Section 8 landlords will not receive checks until the authority has one in place.
Tenants Say They Have Nowhere to Turn
The upheaval has left residents like Ashlee Britt, a former tenant who says she was evicted after lease issues, feeling abandoned by the system meant to help her. Britt told NEWS10 ABC she received a ten-day notice to leave her apartment in August, after her rent was raised without warning. She said she has four children and felt unheard when she tried to raise concerns, including what she described as a lack of accommodations for disabled children and disabled adults in the authority's care.
Tenant advocate Kenneth Zeoli told the station that families now have no one to answer basic questions about repairs, and he raised concern that families could risk homelessness if the housing authority effectively shuts down. Tenants have also reported years of deplorable housing conditions, including mold, water damage and infestation, according to the same tenant accounts NEWS10 ABC gathered. Those accounts have not been independently verified beyond what residents described to the station.
Former Chairman Points to Breakdown With Mayor's Office
Rogers, the former board chairman, attributed the resignations to a lack of communication with Mayor John DeFrancesco's office and tensions over an incomplete board, the station's report notes. He said conflict with a fellow board member escalated into intolerable tensions and name-calling, and he argued that the mayor's failure to step up had real consequences for the roughly 200 families the authority serves.
Rogers pushed back on the idea that the board itself was responsible for day-to-day repair complaints, saying tenants misunderstand the board's actual responsibilities. Per the same account, the board's role was fiduciary oversight — setting policies and procedures — not fielding individual maintenance calls. That description lines up with the authority's own site, which states that commissioners are responsible for setting policies, approving budgets and ensuring operations comply with the law and HUD regulations.
Rogers also said the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees the Rensselaer Housing Authority, told board members that the mayor was responsible for addressing housing conditions. The authority's website says it is governed by a five-member board appointed by the mayor, with each commissioner serving a five-year term — a structure that leaves little room to operate once most seats sit empty.
Mayor Says Problems Predate His Term
DeFrancesco acknowledged the crisis, saying the housing authority has had management and governance issues since before he became mayor. He said he intends to methodically review potential candidates in the coming days and plans to appoint commissioners with a positive outlook on the authority's future, according to NEWS10 ABC's reporting. No specific timeline has been announced for when a functioning board might be restored.
The authority's own website currently lists its Section 8 waiting list as closed, though the evidence does not establish any connection between that closure and the board resignations. For the families still waiting on repairs, rent decisions, and basic answers, the immediate question is less about policy than about who, if anyone, is picking up the phone.
