HUD secretary stonewalls Casey's PHA questions

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey yesterday grilled Alphonso Jackson, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, over e-mails by HUD officials pondering how they could "make life less happy" for Philadelphia Housing Authority Executive Director Carl Greene.

"Take away all his federal dollars?" one assistant secretary suggested.

The e-mail exchange occurred after Greene refused a request by Jackson to transfer two parcels of city land to developer Kenny Gamble for a nominal fee.

Jackson and Gamble are friends, and Gamble's company helped redevelop the old Martin Luther King housing project in South Philadelphia.

Greene sent copies of the e-mails to Casey, a Democrat, and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., earlier this week, asking that they hold Jackson and his lieutenants accountable.

Casey seized on the opportunity yesterday during a hearing of the Senate Banking Committee at the Capitol on HUD's proposed budget for next year. He questioned Jackson on the e-mails for about 20 minutes.

Casey noted that he had "never seen anything like that" during eight years of investigations as Pennsylvania's auditor general.

But Jackson repeatedly stonewalled Casey's requests to explain the e-mails and what action he took against the officials who exchanged them.

He cited pending litigation in federal court here and U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond's request that the parties not try the case in the media.

PHA sued Jackson and HUD in December after HUD threatened to yank as much as $50 million in federal funds from PHA for violating rules making its units accessible to disabled residents.

PHA has said that HUD made up problems that don't exist as a pretext for retaliating against Greene.

At one point in the hearing, Casey said: "Mr. Secretary, this isn't a question coming from a reporter, it's from a U.S. senator on the Banking Committee. I have an obligation to ask questions and it is incumbent on you to answer them."

Still, Jackson refused.

Later, as the exchange grew more frosty, Casey asked a different question. "Once you became aware of [the e-mails], did you take any action with regard to those employees who sent the e-mails?"

Jackson replied that he didn't think he could answer the question and still "be at ease" in complying with the judge's request.

"You're not going to answer this question, either?" Casey asked.

"I just don't believe I'm in a position to answer the question," Jackson replied.

Finally, a frustrated Casey, holding copies of the e-mails in his hand, scolded Jackson.

"It's this kind of stuff that undermines public confidence in public officials," he said. "You can't allow this to happen."

After the hearing, Casey sent a letter to Jackson requesting a private meeting and answers to the questions. Casey said in a phone interview from Washington that it was "ridiculous" that Jackson wouldn't answer his questions.

"He's got a lot of explaining to do," the senator said, adding that "it's insulting to think you can just stiff-arm and push away oversight of a public agency."

The January 2007 e-mail exchange that riled Casey was between then-Assistant HUD Secretary Orlando Cabrera and Assistant Secretary Kim Kendrick.

In the e-mails, Cabrera referred to PHA's Greene when he asked Kendrick: "Would you like me to make his life less happy? If so, how?"

Kendrick replied: "Take away his federal dollars?"

Cabrera then responded: "Let me look into that possibility." *