Cuomo Creates Monitor to Oversee Repairs to City’s Public Housing
Summary
But the monitor’s primary task would be to expedite repairs to problems like broken boilers, mold and lead paint, which pose a threat to public health. According to the order, the independent monitor must be appointed within the next 60 days and will be chosen by the mayor, the City Council speaker and the president of the Citywide Council of Presidents, a group of tenant leaders chosen by Nycha residents, which sued the agency in February. The monitor would then have 30 days to select a private contractor for repairs, and certain procurement rules would be waived to speed along projects. Mr. Cuomo’s order was unsparing in its critique, asserting “the conditions of habitability at Nycha-managed residential properties constitute a public nuisance affecting the security of life and health in the City of New York” and that a “disaster is imminent for which the affected local government is unable to respond adequately.” The governor’s visit to the Johnson Houses was his fourth visit to a public housing complex since March 12. Several city officials who have been reliable antagonists of the mayor joined Mr. Cuomo and praised his decision, including Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller, and Councilman Ritchie Torres, as well as those seeking to assert independence from him, like Corey Johnson, the council speaker, and Letitia James, the public advocate.