NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- Republican Housing Secretary Ben Carson announced Thursday a federal monitor will oversee reforms at NYCHA and fix living conditions for thousands of residents who live in the public housing system.
The decision comes after a federal judge rejected a $2 billion deal to settle lawsuits over tenant complaints about lack of heat, mold and lead issues, rodent problems and allegations that the agency failed to provide safe, decent and sanitary living conditions for years.
In addition to operating under a federal monitor, NYCHA will get new top management and the city commits to spending at least $2.2 billion over the next 10 years to address the ongoing issues, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
Carson did not come to the city bearing a bag of federal dollars, but did praise the Democratic mayor.
"We were able to put aside any political differences and think about what would provide the right kind of environment for the people here," Carson said.
Carson said the agreement is a "positive outcome.''
"The monitor will be mostly doing just that -- monitoring -- because I believe that the mayor and his team are very committed to getting this work done," Carson said. "I don't think that we're going to be in a situation where the monitor and HUD and others have to come down and say, 'How come you guys aren't doing what you're supposed to do?'"
According to a news release from the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s Office, NYCHA will be required to remediate living conditions public housing complexes by specific deadlines and "meet strict, objective compliance standards regarding lead paint hazards, mold growth, pest infestations, and inadequate heating and elevator service."
"There will be specific landmarks that we will be looking to meet and people will be able to see whether that's being done, so transparency is going to be a big part of enforcement in this particular case," Carson said. "This is not something that we're taking lightly, I believe this is going to work."
Mayor Bill de Blasio will have the final say in choosing a monitor.
"We are not going to try to micromanage what is going on here in New York City," Carson said. "Part of the agreement provides the ability to look, to monitor, to intercede if necessary but I have great faith in the process that's been set up here and I believe it's going to work just fine."
On Wednesday night, word of Carson's planned visit to the city was followed by a vague tweet from HUD official Lynne Patton that said the announcement would "be great news for residents" but "whether or not this announcement will be great news for the mayor remains to be seen."
That tweet sparked outrage from City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who said "playing coy" over something that could impact the lives of 800,000 people was "disgusting," Diamond reported.
"This isn’t a ratings ploy. This is real life. Enough with the games," Johnson said.
City Comptroller Scott Stringer tweeted, "The only announcement about NYCHA should be a real financial commitment. Anything less than that is total bulls**t."
De Blasio didn't address Carson's visit at a press conference Wednesday, but reiterated that after years of neglect by the federal government, accountability must stay at the local level.
"There's still a lot of very big issues and we remain adamant about the point that we have to make sure we protect the 400,000 people who live in public housing and that we can ensure that there is accountability and local control of the situation so we can solve their problems," de Blasio said.
He applauded the agreement Thursday calling it "a partnership to get things done for the residents.''