Shola Olatoye, who has led the New York City Public Housing Authority since 2014, announced on Tuesday that she was resigning, and would leave her post at the end of April. She will be succeeded in the interim by Stanley Brezenoff, who has previously served as first deputy mayor of the city and as president of its public health system.
Ms. Olatoye has been criticized by lawmakers and housing advocates in recent months for her handling of infrastructure problems in public housing properties, including mold, lead paint, and heat and water issues. New York state governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the authority and ordered an independent monitor to oversee a remediation plan for its properties earlier this month.
Danny Barber, chairman of the housing authority’s Citywide Council of Presidents, a residents association, called Ms. Olatoye’s resignation long overdue. “We hope that the new chair will be considerate and will listen to the life-or-death concerns of our community, working with us to resolve the humanitarian crisis that NYCHA has created,” he said in a statement.
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