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Philadelphia Housing Authority Executive Director Carl Greene wil be taking some time off to get both his personal, and professional houses in order.
Greene made the decision following disclosure that he had fallen five months behind on his home mortgage payments, faced foreclosure proceedings, and had been named in a sexual harassment suit.
In a lawsuit filed July 27, Wells Fargo Bank brought foreclosure proceedings against Greene on the three-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot condo he bought in the upscale Naval Square development in 2007. The amount in dispute totaled $386,685, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Friday. The bank said it is not seeking to evict Greene, 53, whose salary is $306,370. He also got a $41,188 bonus last year.
He has now paid his mortgage through October and has hired an accountant to review all his personal finances to make sure everything is in order.
“My lack of attention to my personal financial dealings is a failure on my part. I want to assure the citizens of Philadelphia as well as the employees and residents of PHA that the problems I have created for myself personally have not affected my stewardship of the housing authority. We continue to be a dynamic organization and a leader in the development and management of affordable housing,” said Greene.
In addition to Greene’s mortgage woes, he has been named in a sexual harassment complaint that was filed with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission according to the Philadelphia Daily News.
On April 30, Elizabeth Helm, a PHA architect, alleged that Greene told her that any promotions within the agency would be connected to her succumbing to his sexual advances, according to the complaint. In a letter that Helm’s attorney wrote to a variety of political officials including Gov. Ed Rendell, PHA Board Chairman John Street, Mayor Michael Nutter and others, she also alleges that Greene was using his positon as executive director for his own personal gain, according to the Daily News. PHA officials deny the claims.
Greene concedes the stresses of a job that demands his attention seven days a week have left him mentally and physically exhausted.
“I plan to do something I have not done in my 13 years in Philadelphia — take an extended vacation, get recharged and come back better and stronger,” he said.
“I also am aware that many questions have been raised about specific PHA-related issues. My staff has been and will continue to be fully cooperative with supplying requested information to the media. PHA maintains the most professional operating standards and stands by its record of accomplishment.”
“I sincerely apologize for being unavailable as I sort out my personal business. I have three very capable assistant executive directors who will manage day-to-day operations during my absence,” Greene said.
Greene took over at PHA in 1998, after previously working as executive director of the Detroit Housing Commission, and also working for housing authorities in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
Greene will have to participate in the city’s mortgage-foreclosure program and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 16.
SUN WIRE services contributed to this story.
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