Housing Authority Executive Director Paul Graziano is facing questions after sex abuse allegations were reported in the AFRO. (Courtesy photo)
Members of the Baltimore City Council heard from all the major players in the case surrounding the alleged sexual abuse of public housing residents– including Housing Authority Executive Director Paul Graziano, lawyers for the women who are suing, fired labor union safety officer Lucky Crosby and several angry and frustrated residents.
The Afro first broke the story of allegations of demands for sex in exchange for repairs to public in July. So far, 11women have joined the lawsuit.
Graziano said the housing authority would be hiring 50 new maintenance workers to address the backlog of work orders that have not been resolved. He also told the city council that the authority would be hiring new administrators, property managers and other workers.
When Councilman Carl Stokes (District 12 and mayoral candidate) asked him when he first became aware of the sexual abuse allegations, Graziano said he could not discuss that at that time.
“We’ve had an ongoing investigation,” he said. “I won’t discuss it. I can’t discuss it.”
Graziano, who has been commissioner for almost 15 years, told City Council President Jack Young that open maintenance cases should be closed in 30 days. “That has always been the standard,” he said.
Fired labor union safety officer Crosby said that he repeatedly told upper management that there were problems.
“I’m here to let you know that I notified the leaders personally. They did nothing but rebuke me,” he said. He said that the Housing Authority has offered him his job back, but only based on several conditions, including that he give up the right to sue.
Many of the speakers at the meeting emphasized that problems at the Housing Authority extend far beyond the sex allegations.
Loretta Taylor-Boyd, a resident of McCulloh Homes, told the council that she has had to deal with mice infestations, mold, holes in her ceilings and roaches and mice in her freezer.
She said that because of some serious ongoing health issues, she is finally being moved elsewhere but still wanted to speak out.
“What was done to me would be attempted to be done to others,” she said. “If they don’t like you, they don’t come and make repairs.”
“I’m asking the city council to do something,” she said.
Cary Hansel, the lawyer who represents the women suing the authority, said that Graziano had made great changes since the lawsuit was first filed, but said that the actions were “too little, too late.” He suggested that the City Council introduce legislation so that people who sued city agencies could recoup their lawyer’s fees because the high cost often deters victims from coming forward.
“If the first woman could have found a lawyer…this would have been stopped because there was someone like me there to help them,” he said.
