The PHA's problem is patronage

By Marwan Kreidie

Have you wondered why the state Civil Service Commission doesn't protect employees of the Philadelphia Housing Authority?

A state law passed in 1975 subjected all the state's housing authorities to the rules and protections of the Civil Service Commission. But it included a loophole that kept housing authorities in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh out of the system. Pittsburgh's has since signed a contract with the Civil Service Commission, making Philadelphia's the only housing authority in the commonwealth where employees do not enjoy civil-service protections.

Why has this exception persisted? A cynic might say that the PHA was exempted so that patronage could continue to flourish there. And any observer can see that it did.

Under this system, the authority's employees have been hired and fired at will, mostly by virtue of their political sponsors and contacts. The PHA's contracts for professional services have been handled in much the same way. The hundreds of thousands of dollars it paid for legal representation by Sharif Street, the son of John F. Street - the former mayor and, until last week, chairman of the PHA board - is one example of the abuses that took place as a result.

Had the PHA been subject to civil-service rules, many of its current problems would have been avoided. Former executive director Carl Greene reportedly instilled fear among employees with threats of demotion or dismissal, for example. Such threats would have been far less effective against employees enjoying civil-service protections.

Empowering employees also would have made them more willing to expose the alleged sexual harassment and other misdeeds that have cost the PHA considerable money and credibility.

Currently, all management-level employees of the PHA serve at will, while nonmanagerial workers are covered by union contracts. Although a good case can be made for patronage appointments in certain cases, high-level appointees and board members should not have the power to get jobs for their friends and supporters, who will in turn be less willing to challenge the management.

Making PHA employees subject to civil-service rules could be an important step toward cleaning up the mess at the agency. And the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development could accomplish it quickly and without any need for legislation by signing a contract with the State Civil Service Commission. Pittsburgh provides the precedent.

Such a contract could provide for a probationary period for existing nonunion employees before protections take effect, allowing the new management to assess their competence. And because the Civil Service Commission already has other state housing authorities under its rules, the necessary job descriptions, tests, and documentation are available to make the PHA a covered agency right away. Hiring and promotion examinations could be done with existing equipment at the commission's regional offices, in Center City, and disciplinary hearings could also take place there.

Making these changes would help the PHA begin to fulfill its real mission: providing good, affordable housing to Philadelphia's most vulnerable.