The feds on Tuesday urged a judge to deny the city’s beleaguered public-housing tenants a “seat at the table” to oppose the $1 billion-plus deal to settle a suit over their decrepit and dangerous living conditions.
The Manhattan US Attorney’s Office said it’s up to the task of representing the tenants’ interests — especially since it filed the suit to enforce federal regulations regarding lead paint and ensure New York City Housing Authority projects are “decent, safe, and sanitary.”
The letter to Manhattan federal Judge William Pauley III also noted that the City-Wide Council of Presidents, a NYCHA tenants’ group, failed to mention that it’s been asked to “submit names” for selection of a court-appointed monitor to oversee planned NYCHA improvements.
CCOP lawyer Nicole Gueron said, “We disagree with the Government’s position and hope very much that Judge Pauley will allow the voices of NYCHA residents, represented by CCOP, to be heard in this matter that has such an important impact on their homes and their lives.”
Last week, the CCOP argued that the feds’ proposed deal with NYCHA “offers Tenants no role in setting performance standards and policies.”
The group also claims that the amount of money promised by the city “cannot possibly solve the systemic, pervasive problems in NYCHA’s facilities and operations.”