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Housing manager cited over own sites
By Brian Meyer NEWS STAFF REPORTER, Updated: 04/07/08 6:35 AM
The man who manages a 616- unit complex owned by Buffalo’s public housing agency has been cited by city inspectors for owning dilapidated properties, The Buffalo News has learned.
Two properties owned by Henry M. Littles are currently in Housing Court, and a third will likely be cited for violations, according to documents city officials released in response to a Freedom of Information request.
Littles, a longtime friend of Mayor Byron W. Brown, began managing the Marine Drive Apartments 14 months ago after the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority signed a $70,000-a-year contract with Erie Regional Development to oversee the seven-building complex.
Housing Court records obtained by The News indicate that inspectors found numerous violations at properties Littles owns on West Utica and Schreck streets.
The problems include rotting decks, broken windows, old tires, appliances and other rubbish in yards, and loose gutters.
A Housing Court case could be filed soon involving another property Littles owns on Schreck Street, according to Richard M. Tobe, the city’s permits and inspections chief.
When contacted for reaction, Littles was contrite.
“I’m not going to deny that there have been some problems,” he said. “I haven’t been giving my personal properties as much attention as I have in the past.”
Littles cited his increased workload at Marine Drive and problems finding responsible tenants for properties in “troubled” neighborhoods. But he conceded that these are not valid excuses.
“I’m guilty of these things,” he said. “The bottom line is that I will get them repaired.”
Littles promised to rectify the problems by early summer.
He said he owns about 15 properties through a limited liability corporation with his mother and sister. He acknowledged that during his two decades in the rental property business, there were a couple of cases involving code violations. But he insisted that the problems have been isolated and that he has not been a slumlord.
The News filed requests for information on Littles’ properties dating back to 2000. Tobe said staffers were still compiling the data Friday.
“We have insufficient information to make a conclusion one way or another,” about whether Littles has a pattern of property violations, he said.
Littles also downplayed the severity of the violations cited by inspectors.
“It’s nothing where someone is living in dire straits or where the property needs to be demolished,” he said.
“But the bottom line is that I will get things repaired,” he added.
The chairman of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority said Littles must take swift action to fix his properties.
“If you’re asking me if it’s an issue, absolutely,” Michael A. Seaman said of Littles’ problems in Housing Court. “I told Henry he’s doing a great job at Marine Drive, but there are standards we have to abide by.”
A tenant-elected housing commissioner who lives in Marine Drive disagrees that Littles has improved conditions there. Joseph Mascia said things have “steadily deteriorated,” and he thinks Littles should be fired.
“He just doesn’t have the experience to manage a housing complex this size,” Mascia said.
Seaman defended Littles’ track record, quoting some tenants who attended a City Hall hearing last September. Some speakers said Littles was a vast improvement over the Hutchens- Kissling management group, which he replaced in January 2007.
“There are some residents who like him, but they’re the ones who get the perks,” Mascia retorted.
Littles said his recent accomplishments include troubleshooting water leaks that slashed bills at Marine Drive from $700,000 to $143,000.
Seaman said the contract at Marine Drive could be terminated on a month’s notice. But he said he thinks Littles should continue running the complex as long as he fixes his properties.
“I have all the confidence in the world in Henry,” Seaman said.
The mayor echoed the sentiments, saying everything he has heard about conditions at Marine Drive tells him that Littles is meeting and exceeding expectations.
“He has done an absolutely exceptional job in turning around a property that had many problems,” Brown said.
The mayor denied that he had any involvement in the decision to hire his longtime friend to manage Marine Drive. The Housing Authority approved a contract with Erie Regional Development, a nonprofit property manager and human services provider, Brown said. In turn, Erie Regional hired Littles to be the sole manager of the complex.
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