On the same day the Philadelphia Housing Authority auctioned off nearly 200 homes, NBC10 uncovered a major shakeup within the agency. David Northern, the PHA Vice President, resigned last week, after only four months.
Last March, Northern arrived to the PHA with great fanfare. After his resignation however, he left behind a transition memo that included strong allegations.
“More work is needed to be done to address bullying and harassment by middle management,” he wrote in the letter obtained by NBC10. “Also, staff does not have the confidence in HR for reporting problems related to work place bullying and harassment.”
PHA resident representative George Upshur claims he never witnessed any bullying or harassment however.
“I don’t see that,” Upshur said. “I see leadership trying to do their job.
PHA has been under the microscope since former leader Carl Greene was ousted amid sexual harassment allegations back in 2010. In 2011, he U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development took over the agency.
In spite of the latest management bump, some members see improvement.
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“We have better security,” said Andrea Foster, president of Westpark Apartments. “More information is given out to residents.”
Northern briefly spoke to NBC10 by phone and said he decided it was best for him and his family to move on when he had the opportunity.
Due to the personnel issue, PHA could not comment on Northern’s resignation. A spokesperson did say however that a longtime maintenance director has stepped into his role.
