Goodman considers intervening at Housing Authority

Judy Odierna

Friday, May 30, 2003 | 9:30 a.m.

Mayor Oscar Goodman said Thursday that he may have to "stick his nose" into the affairs of the Las Vegas Housing Authority.

"There's a little bit of tumult taking place," Goodman said. "I want to quash that before it gets more tumultuous."

Housing Authority Commissioner Beatrice Turner says she's not sure just what those problems are.

"I didn't know anything was going on," Turner said. "But if we have some issues and the mayor needs to intervene, then he has to intervene."

The terms for Commissioner Dewain Steadman and Commissioner Robert Forbuss will expire in the next two months.

The mayor appoints the five commissioners to the board.

The Housing Authority has had a troubled year and a half that began last February, when commissioners discovered former executive director Frederick Brown, who died last June, paid former Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera $4,500 a month to perform public relations work for the authority.

The contract amount exceeded the $25,000 threshold at which contracts can be granted without going to bid and without approval by the board.

Then the board struggled to find a replacement for Brown, paying a consultant for a nationwide search that resulted with a job offer for Harrison Shannon Jr., a former director of the Charlotte, N.C., housing authority. Shannon turned down the offer, and other candidates also removed themselves from consideration.

Parviz Ghadiri, the acting director since July, was offered the position in January. He was one of the five finalists.

Steadman declined to comment on the mayor's statement and Forbuss could not be reached for comment.

Housing Authority Chairman Michael McDonald, who is also a city councilman, could not be reached for comment. Commissioner Christopher Hoye also could not be reached for comment.

The next housing authority meeting is Tuesday.