Two finalists named to head Housing Authority

Dan Kulin

Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 | 10:09 a.m.

A former head of the Charlotte, N.C., Housing Authority and the current assistant executive director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority are the finalists for the top job in the Las Vegas agency.

The new executive director of the Las Vegas Housing Authority will oversee a $65 million budget, 192 full-time employees and an agency that helps provide affordable housing for about 12,000 low-income families and senior citizens.

Local housing commissioners selected the two finalists Thursday with a 4-1 vote, bumping the acting executive director, Parviz Ghadiri, out of contention for the permanent job. Ghadiri had been among the final five candidates considered for the position.

Commissioner Dewain Steadman cast the one opposing vote, telling his fellow commissioners that "one of the candidates has some baggage."

Steadman gave the other commissioners several articles, printed from the Internet, about Harrison Shannon Jr., the president and chief executive officer of the Charlotte Housing Authority.

The articles said the finalist received a lucrative severance package from the Charlotte Housing Authority when he resigned earlier this year. The articles also said that while Shannon brought more than $100 million in federal grants to the agency during his 12 years there, accusations of poor management surfaced toward the end of his time with the Charlotte authority.

But Las Vegas Housing Commissioner Christopher Hoye, a lieutenant with Metro Police, said he would expect someone who has led a public agency and been a public official to "have some baggage."

"If you direct a housing authority you're going to make some unpopular decisions and be criticized," Hoye said.

Hoye said he looked into the backgrounds of both Shannon and finalist Jemine Bryon, the assistant executive director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

Hoye said the two remaining candidates for the Las Vegas job are "remarkable candidates."

Shannon, 56, declined to specifically respond to the criticism levied against him during his time on the job in Charlotte.

"I know the condition of the Charlotte Housing Authority when I assumed the position and the Charlotte Housing Authority is now one of the housing authorities that's talked about as a model authority," Shannon said. "I left things better than I found them."

Shannon said he resigned from the Charlotte Housing Authority in April "because I thought it was time to move on."

"There were some undercurrents from board members and I'll leave it at that," he said.

After resigning, Shannon started The Harrison Shannon Group LLC, a consulting firm that offers housing management training, and advice on affordable housing issues, and counts the Charlotte Housing Authority as one of its clients.

Shannon said he was contacted by the search firm about the Las Vegas position, and thought it was "worth my time to explore."

But Shannon said he's not sure if he would take the position if it was offered.

"I have to be convinced it would be a good fit. I'll talk to the board members and the community ... and get a feel for the housing authority there," Shannon said.

Bryon could not be reached for comment Friday morning.

Shannon and Bryon are expected to be in Las Vegas on Tuesday to meet with all of the commissioners, Hoye said.

The board could choose the new executive director after those interviews, Commissioner Robert Forbuss said.

Hoye said the decision could come within three weeks.

The commissioner's decision to go with either Bryon or Shannon was unpopular with some members of the audience at the Thursday meeting. Three people told the commissioners Ghadiri should get the top job.

Ghadiri has been the acting executive director since July. He was moved into the position after the death of Frederick Brown. At that time the Housing Authority and Brown had been in the midst of a controversy involving a consulting contract that had been given to Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera.

Before Brown's death, Ghadiri had been deputy executive director.

Hoye said it was "extremely difficult" for him to leave Ghadiri off the last list of finalists for the job. But Hoye said the commissioners based their decision on which candidates were ranked the highest by an outside firm and panel charged with helping find a new executive director.

This process kept the decision objective and "took politics out of the equation," Hoye said.

Ghadiri said he will support the board's decision and return to his position as deputy executive director after a new executive director is hired.

Steadman said Ghadiri is the best person to lead the housing authority.

"The process is flawed," Steadman said.

Steadman said he plans to ask the attorney general if the commissioners were allowed touse an outside firm to help find a new executive director.

"The commissioners should have been more involved," Steadman said.