NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Mayor Eric Adams announced a shakeup Thursday at the New York City Housing Authority, with NYCHA Chair Greg Russ no longer serving as CEO in a move that comes a week after an arsenic water scare at a Manhattan housing complex.
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The leadership structure of NYCHA will be split so that the chair and CEO are two separate positions, Adams said.
NYCHA’s current executive VP of legal affairs and general counsel Lisa Bova-Hiatt will serve as interim CEO, with a national search underway for a permanent CEO.
Russ, who was appointed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2019, will be chair of NYCHA’s Board of Directors.
Officials didn't say the shakeup was tied to the botched arsenic crisis, and the Board of Directors voted in June to split the roles.
In a release Thursday, the mayor’s office said separating the positions “establishes a new and more effective leadership structure.”
“We cannot wait any longer to make transformational changes so NYCHA can provide safe, high-quality homes for New Yorkers,” Adams said in a statement.
“I am determined to work with my partners in government to identify the right leaders and the right structure for NYCHA to deliver on our promises to public housing residents. I want to thank Lisa Bova-Hiatt for her dedicated service to our city and for stepping up at this critical time to put NYCHA on the right path,” the mayor continued.
Russ said, “Knowing the residents and NYCHA staff will be led by Lisa in the interim is an important move to continue strengthening NYCHA.”
“As I step back into the role of chair of NYCHA’s Board of Directors, I will remain a resource and partner to Lisa, the NYCHA team, NYCHA residents, and the city,” he said, adding that his “commitment to NYCHA remains as strong as ever.”
Meanwhile, the City Council is launching two investigations following an erroneous positive arsenic test at the Jacob Riis Houses in the East Village that left residents without water for a week, NY1 reported Thursday.
One investigation will focus on the Jacob Riis Houses and "a detailed timeline of when and how results were communicated to NYCHA and NYCHA residents."
The second investigation will center on "other water-quality issues at NYCHA developments" across the city, where the public development corporation serves nearly 350,000 residents.
City officials said Saturday that the water at the Jacob Riis Houses is safe to drink after earlier tests incorrectly showed the presence of arsenic.
A tweeted video showed Adams and another official drinking glasses of water from a tap at the housing complex. Tests by an outside lab last month had showed higher than allowable levels of arsenic, but last Friday the company said the results were incorrect.
Residents of the 1,700-unit complex had been told to avoid drinking or cooking with the water beginning last weekend. Adams said Saturday additional tests had confirmed the water was safe.
“The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reviewed the final test results for contaminants and found the water to be well within EPA drinking water quality standards,” Adams said in a statement last weekend. “We can confidently say the water at Riis Houses is and has been free of any discernible amount of arsenic since the initial tests were initiated in August and meets EPA standards.”
Adams’ office said the city would cease working with the lab, Environmental Monitoring and Technologies, and would “pursue all available legal options” and seek to reimburse residents for costs incurred during the last week. The company acknowledged the testing errors in a statement Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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