Board removes HRA director

The Cloquet/Carlton Housing & Redevelopment Authority’s board of commissioners fired the agency’s executive director on Friday, May 12. Residents in facilities run by the HRA received word that Debra Shaff was “no longer employed” after a closed meeting commissioners held with Shaff in attendance.

Cynthia Slater, chairwoman of the Cloquet board, said Shaff was “released” from her duties based on some fact-finding done within the HRA organization. Slater was not specific on why Shaff was let go, but said findings showed that “we couldn’t fix it.”

The decision was done all inside the agency, Slater said. No attorney was involved and no criminal charges are in play, she said. She said that a bad work environment had developed in the HRA and “nobody was thriving.”

HRA board members felt that they were mostly on their own when dealing with questions about Shaff and how they should proceed. “We’re green at this,” Slater said of the process.

While the HRA works closely with the cities of Cloquet and Carlton, they were not able to provide guidance, Slater said. On Tuesday, she was awaiting a conference call with Shaff as well as a call from a state field representative for the federal Housing & Urban Development agency.

The board is awaiting guidance on how to frame the details of Shaff’s dismissal. Slater said the process the board went through has been “written up and outlined.”

The local HRA works to find affordable housing opportunities in Cloquet, Carlton and Carlton County. The HRA runs the countywide Section 8 housing voucher program and others that provide funding for those needing help paying rent. It also plays a part in housing at Aspen Arms and White Pine apartments in Cloquet and Woodland Pines in Carlton. It owns and manages the 76-unit Aspen Arms.

Shaff was in her 17th year with the HRA. She was unavailable for comment.

Earlier this month, she sent a news release to media outlets touting the HRA’s status as “high performer” as deemed by HUD. It was the highest ranking for local HRAs.

“Big things are possible as a result of our commissioners and staff’s continued commitment, enthusiasm, perseverance and leadership,” Shaff wrote in the May 8 release. “Our staff has not wavered in its dedication in delivering housing services and support to low-income Cloquet and Carlton citizens.”

Slater said that the board’s discussions with Shaff showed that she had a “different point of view” on the issues at hand. In the end, it was a “culmination of things,” Slater said, that led to the “conclusion we all agreed on.”

Roles, responsibilities

Shannon Guernsey is the executive director of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. It provides advice to HRA board members on how to perform in their roles.

She said that the commissioners are definitely the authority over the executive director. Commissioners, who are chosen by mayors or a county board that represent the area the HRA serves in, are the public link to HRAs, Guernsey said. The executive director deals with the day-to-day operations while board members make sure the HRA is serving the public in its intended ways, Guernsey said.

Commissions are not alone, she said. It is common practice for members to seek advice from the municipality or country they are attached to.

The Cloquet/Carlton Housing & Redevelopment Authority reached out to the city of Cloquet about how it might deal with questions about Shaff, but was told it couldn’t help, Slater said this week. According to state statute, a city is allowed to opt out of getting involved in an independent body’s machinations.

Slater said the board acted alone in dismissing Shaff, without an attorney. Guernsey said actions regarding human resources types of issues usually involve “some sort of counsel.”

While the May meeting at which Shaff was terminated was closed to the public, the circumstances around it are public information. Typically, if a public body is deliberating accusations against an official or an employee, it holds closed discussions with an attorney considering actions it can take. Those meetings need to be posted and any results of that discussion made public.

Also, public bodies can deliberate behind closed doors but must open a meeting before voting on any action taken as a result of those discussions. Slater said the meeting and ultimate decision regarding Shaff all took place in a closed meeting. Slater said there are likely notes of the closed meeting, but the Pine Knot has been unable to access those. The board posts its meeting minutes online, but nothing has been posted in the past year.

State statute regarding HRAs isn’t clear on a commission’s role regarding an executive director, saying only that it may employ one. It is clear on how a commission would investigate allegations against one of it own members:

“For inefficiency or neglect of duty, or misconduct in office, a commissioner may be removed by the governing body of the municipality. The commissioner must be given a copy of the charges at least 10 days prior to a hearing at which the commissioner has an opportunity to be heard in person or by counsel. When charges in writing have been preferred against a commissioner, pending final action thereon the governing body may temporarily suspend the commissioner. If it is found that those charges have not been substantiated, the commissioner shall immediately be reinstated in office. When any commissioner is removed, a record of the proceedings, together with the charges and findings thereon, shall be filed in the office of the clerk.”