Brian Sharp

Staff writer

One week after abruptly dismissing Alex Castro as executive director of the Rochester Housing Authority, there remain no clear answers to myriad questions — the most basic being, "Why?"

Castro was not told why when informed by phone last week while he was out of town, his attorney said. Mayor Lovely Warren pressed the question Tuesday in a letter to RHA board chairman George Moses, threatening to call for his resignation if an answer was not forthcoming.

There was no definitive answer at a news conference held later Tuesday morning. But Warren in a statement said she received a written response from Moses late Tuesday afternoon, thanked him and said she was reviewing it with her legal team. That response was not publicly released.

The RHA board of commissioners, now facing criticism from residents and community advocates, is scheduled to meet Wednesday in what is expected to be a highly charged, well-attended session.

Commissioners met in special session last Tuesday and fired Castro, then installed City Councilman Adam McFadden a day later as what was clarified this week as interim director. Moses said there would be a search for a permanent director.

Moses on Tuesday alleged a pattern of questionable business practices under Castro and "aggressive pushback" when board members raised questions. But at the news conference, flanked by vice chairman John Page and five lawyers, he declined to discuss a timeline of events, Castro's possible severance, whether he remains on the payroll, specifics of why he was fired, the term of McFadden's appointment (previously stated to be three months), McFadden's salary, and what due diligence was done prior to making McFadden's appointment.

The latter has become an issue as federal regulations identify conflicts of interest in business dealings between the authority and elected officials. That language is included in RHA's contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD has said it is reviewing the McFadden hire.

McFadden did not attend the news conference.

Back in May, Moses and Page wrote to Warren, complaining of rushed board meetings and that commissioners "were even counseled not to use a lot of the staff's time in meetings." The letter questioned an estimated $8 million in RHA loans to various entities shown in a 2012 audit. They also questioned RHA's commitment to hiring minority and women-owned firms or targeting economic opportunities to low- and very low-income residents, as required by federal regulations — saying the policies should be implemented "without excuses."

The pair, who were recently appointed at the time and not yet in leadership roles, asked Warren about her communication with appointees, saying Castro and then-chairwoman Carol Schwartz had tried to reach her several times. The letter concludes by highlighting their intent "to resolve (concerns) and align the RHA agenda with the city of Rochester."

Warren has said she forwarded to HUD concerns raised by new board members.

Historically, mayors have had very limited involvement with RHA outside of board appointments. Warren appointed Moses and four other members on the seven-member RHA board, all new this year. Residents elect the other two.

Schwartz, whom Warren since replaced, said she tried to reach Warren only after the mayor reached out to her, requesting a meeting. As for Moses and Page: "They never asked to sit down with Alex and I to talk about these issues," Schwartz said, adding that members were advised to call Castro with any questions and try to address extended or detailed questions before coming to a meeting to save everyone time.

RHA is an independent public corporation. The agency was created by the state, is overseen by HUD, owns more than 2,400 public-housing units and administers federal subsidies for tens of thousands of people who live in privately owned houses with federal vouchers.

On the allegation of questionable business practices, Moses alluded to concerns with bidding and procurement, cited issues with the leadership that preceded Castro, and a breach in April that led to the release of 150 residents' Social Security numbers.

Asked at the news conference for a recent example of stonewalling by Castro, or specifics of wrongdoing that triggered the shakeup, lawyers intervened, citing potential litigation.

Other matters were deemed personnel issues or internal matters yet to be discussed by the board in closed session.

"Haven't they done enough to me and my family with their bullying?" Castro said when reached by phone on Tuesday afternoon. "I'm trying to move forward. Why spear me? They should be concentrating on Rochester Housing Authority, and their residents."

Castro referred further questions to his lawyer Jules Smith, whom he retained on Tuesday. Smith said his client wants his job back, and that he thinks RHA breached Castro's employment contract but declined to elaborate.

"I don't want to exacerbate what is developing into a heated situation," he said. "There is no reason for that."

Lawyers at the RHA news conference were there with two firms, brought in separately to handle employment and audit matters. The only clear legal opinion offered Tuesday was that the conflict of interest language in RHA's contract with HUD does not apply to the directorship. That came from attorney Langston McFadden, who is Adam McFadden's cousin and part of a firm brought in to do the audit. They declined to say if that audit had begun.

RHA's dealings are subject to state open records and meetings law, and officials on Tuesday suggested the media file open records requests for some of the details sought, saying they wanted to be certain to follow proper procedure.

The Democrat and Chronicle filed such a request on Tuesday afternoon, seeking employment contracts and other records.

The move to replace Castro has proven controversial, with City Council member Jackie Ortiz requesting an ethics review of the matter. She has contacted the area's congressional delegation for assistance, given the potential multiple jurisdictions involved. Meanwhile, La Cumbre, a local forum organized by Ortiz and other Hispanic and Latino leaders, has called for a large public turnout at RHA's board meeting set for noon Wednesday at its 675 W. Main St. offices.

BDSHARP@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/sharproc