By Steve Kemme
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Combs

HAMILTON - Butler County commissioners have accepted the resignation of the man they appointed to the Butler Metropolitan Housing Authority Board and, in strong words, called for the removal of the remaining board members in order to give the agency a better chance to rebound from the turmoil surrounding it.

"They have been lax and have not made prudent decisions," Commissioner Courtney Combs said. "We need to start with a clean slate."

In a recent review, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) criticized the housing authority's finances, reporting and tracking, and questioned the qualifications of board members and executive director Leonard M. "Tony" Blaine.

The commissioners accepted the resignation of Herman Hill, who had offered to step down in order to prompt other board members to do the same.

Commissioner Chuck Furmon had called for Hill's resignation earlier this week after listening to him allegedly threaten a housing authority employee's job following a public meeting.

Hill also has been reprimanded in a letter last year by County Administrator Derek Conklin because the commissioners had received complaints that Hill had made abusive, racial remarks to some housing authority employees.

But while admitting that Hill sometimes made inappropriate comments, they praised him for being the only board member to question management's decisions.

With board member Heather Komnenovich having resigned last month, there are three board members left - Robert Gerhardt, who was appointed by Probate Court; Vincent Sanzone, board president, who was appointed by Common Pleas Court; and Gloria Glenn, who was appointed by Hamilton.

Probate Court Judge Randy Rogers said he will not ask Gerhardt to resign.

"Bob Gerhardt brings to the table a tremendous amount of experience in public service," Rogers said. "That experience is needed in times like this."

Gerhardt has been a Fairfield city manager and a police officer.

The commissioners were especially critical of the housing authority board's decision last year to spend $750,000 to buy a building in International Paper's Knightsbridge complex without establishing a specific plan for its use.

At Thursday's commissioners' meeting, Phyllis Hitte, director of the housing authority's Section 8 housing division, criticized Blaine and the board, which she said rubber-stamped Blaine's proposals.

"Tony Blaine is a very likeable man, but he is in over his head," she told the commissioners.

"That's Ms. Hitte's opinion," Blaine said. "I'm not going to change that."

He said the board had a plan for using the Knightsbridge building as a health center, but the plan fell through.

E-mail skemme@enquirer.com