WESTFIELD – After over a decade as a Commissioner of the Westfield Housing Authority, Jayne Mulligan has been replaced on that board by another city resident, Eileen Murray, at the behest of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.
Originally appointed by former Gov. Jane Swift, herself a western Mass. Republican, Mulligan was part of the WHA’s five-member governing body for the past 12 years, according to a letter from the state addressed to her late last month.
The WHA is composed of four Mayoral appointees and one chosen by the Governor under state law.
According to the city’s website, the WHA’s mission is to work together to “meet the needs of housing and improvements to the city’s public housing inventory.”
The organization works with the tenants of the city’s 102 public housing units through two active tenant associations and “provides input on management issues in public housing” and helps to “identify and prioritize maintenance and resident service needs.”
Mulligan’s term ended in June 2011 and at the time, she felt her tenure on the WHA was over.
“I really thought that I’d be replaced at that point. I was a holdover in limbo, which is not unusual,” she said. “It’s just the timing seems a little odd, that after being held over for three years, they’re now doing housekeeping.”
Mulligan said she had to fill out a lengthy series of background checks, questionnaires and applications for the position in the spring and questions why the state bothered to send her the documents if they intended to replace her months later.
“It was well over 20 pages. They’re thorough (the questions), even if they’re doing what they needed to do,” she said.
Mulligan added that she thought the state was conducting these checks to prevent scandals similar to what occurred several years ago in the Chelsea Housing Authority, whose Executive Director, Michael McLaughlin, was sentenced to three years in prison last year for under reporting his income and fleecing hundreds of thousands of dollars from tenants.
“(Chelsea) was what prompted the questionnaire, which had questions that were very personal that I refused to answer,” said Mulligan. “They wanted any loans over a certain amount. They wanted bank and credit card numbers.”
Asked about whether her unwillingness to answer certain questions contributed to her being replaced, Mulligan said she’d like to think not.
“I get their logic, but I also know that the State Police could get that if they really thought that was the case,” she said. “I’m not going to give that information to whoever may be processing my application more than I’d give it to anyone else.”
Mulligan’s status as a prominent city Republican and Swift holdover likely made her an easy cut for Patrick, a Democrat whose term will expire in January.
With Republican Charlie Baker currently holding a nine-point lead over Democrat Attorney General Martha Coakley in the most recent Boston Globe gubernatorial poll, the timing of Mulligan’s replacement – coupled with the Globe’s endorsement of Baker – may lead some to believe that Patrick, sensing a potential Coakley defeat, is hedging his bets by removing as many dissenters as possible from local boards.
Though Mulligan doesn’t rule out the move being politically motivated, she’s taking the replacement in stride.
“The Governor’s appointment is purely that – a governor’s appointment. For the most part, they’re going to go with their own party,” she said. “It’s not a huge surprise because I was a holdover.”
“While we’re political appointees, the Westfield Housing Authority isn’t political at all,” said Mulligan. “Dan Kelly (executive director, Westfield Housing Authority) does a great job. You never hear of any major complaints, concerns or scandals.”
Kelly, who has been with the WHA for over 20 years, became executive director around the time of Mulligan’s appointment and said he heard about her removal when he received a letter from the state recently.
“We don’t have a lot of turnover. I think one of the commissioners passed away seven or eight years ago, but I’ve been fortunate that I haven’t had much turnover on the board,” said Kelly. “It’s something unusual when a board member is replaced. We’ve had less than six or seven in the years I’ve been here.”
Kelly added that he appreciates all Mulligan has done for the organization.
“She was great to me. She did a commendable job,” said Kelly. “She was a very good commissioner and we had a good rapport.”
Matthew Sheaff, a spokesman for the Office of Housing and Economic Development, downplayed the notion on Monday that the move was political in nature.
“We are pleased to appoint Ms. Murray and look forward to the contributions she will make to the Board on the Administration’s behalf,” said Sheaff in a statement. “We thank Ms. Mulligan for her service to the Housing Authority and wish her the best moving forward.”
