NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — In an interview with CBS2, HUD regional administrator Lynne Patton ripped Mayor de Blasio, blaming him for putting politics over the safety of NYCHA residents.
She also called him and NYCHA officials out for being guilty of fraud and trying to deceive inspectors.
Patton who recently lived in NYCHA housing for a month, called the conditions disastrous and said that money was being wasted.
“I know that money is being wasted, for example one of the units I stayed in in Brooklyn had a leaky basement, but NYCHA thought that was the perfect place to store about 40 brand new doors never used – those doors were destroyed,” Patton added.
She continued that it was clear that federal money was not being used properly and additionally that criminal charges should be pursued.
“They literally had a cheat sheet on how to pass a physical from HUD,” Patton said. “Paint cardboard so it looked like tile… these are crimes it’s not something that’s an innocent gesture… that’s a cheat sheet on how to commit crimes.”
Patton said that de Blasio was distracted with his presidential ambitions and was perplexed by his inability to appoint a permanent head of NYCHA.
De Blasio responded to Patton’s claims at an unrelated press conference, saying, “Everything she is saying is false. Let’s make it simple. False! False! False!”
He further accused of Patton of being a pawn of President Trump.
The mayor says the city remains in daily talks with the leadership of HUD in Washington and those conversations have bene extremely productive.
A deal between the city and Housing Secretary Ben Carson calls for de Blasio to select NYCHA's next board chairman by early next month.