NORTHAMPTON — Maureen Carney, the chair of the board of commissioners for the Northampton Housing Authority, has resigned amid an investigation into a whistleblower complaint that alleges Executive Director Cara Leiper engaged in both legal and ethics violations.
Carney, who is mentioned in that complaint, announced her resignation in a letter to Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, dated Tuesday, Oct. 7.
“In view of the ongoing and relentless unjust assault against me, I submit my resignation from the Northampton Housing Authority Board of Commissioners effective immediately,” Carney said. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to have served as a Mayoral appointee for over four years. I have valued my time here and appreciate the experience and knowledge I’ve gained.”
The NHA has been shrouded in controversy after an independent investigation started in March based on a whistleblower complaint sent to the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) in January. That complaint said that Leiper had engaged in “nepotism and favoritism” in her time as director, as well as fostering a toxic workplace environment.
Though the complaint was largely directed toward Leiper, Carney was also named in the complaint as having had a family member given favorable treatment by Leiper in securing housing.
According to the complaint, Carney’s sister had applied for housing in 2023 and moved into McDonald House on Old South Street four days after her application, without being placed on a wait list. The complaint states that Carney had filed a conflict of interest form, but that Leiper decided to unilaterally house Carney’s sister rather than sending the application and the form to the EOHLC to make the final decision.
Leiper was placed on paid leave in March while an ongoing investigation into the complaint plays out.
Carney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tenants also in recent weeks have voiced complaints against Carney in her role as NHA board president. Those complaints stem from an NHA board meeting held virtually on Aug. 18. That meeting was disrupted by a pornographic video which played for several seconds before being removed.
In a letter to Sciarra dated Monday, Oct. 6, members of tenant organizations for Cahill Apartments, Forsander Apartments and the Walter Salvo House called for Carney’s resignation for letting the video play for approximately 20 seconds and for accusing Paul Borneo, a member of the Cahill Tenants Organization, of being responsible for the video.
“Ms. Carney created and spread a false narrative by ejecting the Cahill board while the pornographic video played and then accusing Mr. Borneo of broadcasting the video,” the letter states.
In an email to Robin Hicks, president of the Cahill Tenants Organization dated Sept. 4, Carney stated that Borneo was the “assumed name of the person who attacked our 8/18 meeting.”
“I made no accusations, and expressed to the police my fear that a resident may have been phished, or may be being framed by an adversary because the person attacking the meeting used the same name,” Carney wrote in the email, a copy of which was shared with the Gazette.
According to Carney’s resignation, her position as chair will be taken over by current vice chair Patricia Healey. Sharon Kimble also recently was appointed the acting executive director for the NHA in September, replacing Matthew Mainville.
Including Carney, there are six members of the NHA board. Five of the members are appointed by the mayor’s office, while one member is appointed by the state governor. Other members of the board include Jim Brooks, JoElla Tarbutton-Springfield, Jeff Jones and Benjamin Wood, according the the NHA’s website.
On Monday, the NHA board met to enter an executive session “to discuss a third-party investigation of complaints or charges brought against a public official.” The board did not provide any information to the public regarding the status of the investigation.