Public-Housing Chief’s Contract Renewed

How is this job worth $215,000??? How are BOE admins making raises while teachers are asked to take a pay and step freeze, which will cost them plenty over their working years??? How do the Mayor and the financiers justify this kind of salary in these hard times? No wonder unions want to say NO to every offer to take it on the chin for the team. What team are the big shots downtown on?

CityYankee - it's worth much more than $215,000 to the city to have a competent and skilled leader in a position like this (and in these times where millions are starving, there are not a lot of jobs you could say that about). Do you know what the job involves? Any small mistake and the city can lose millions or more.

New Haven is lucky to have her at the helm of the Housing Authority, where she has been a superb and visionary leader, of an extremely important New Haven institution. She is worth every penny. Glad to hear she has signed on for another 3 year term.

Is that 215K per year or per the 2020-2023 contract period?

City Yankee she doesn't work for BOE and here income isnt paid exclusively thru the NEW HAVEN TAX DOLLAR but she does work with them and that is all the more reason her position is valued the way that it is. Whether its education, employment ,safe affordable housing, or life growth opportunity etc they all coexist as LIFE NECESSITIES .She works collaboratively well with all of those various departments and agencies. A child without safe housing will have that many more issues with striving and achieving in school, With out fair wage employment housing is jeopardized.Thus domino effects. Ms Walton engages every part of the community to act with humanity. She doesn't run the agency exclusive to profiteering because there is a greater need and opportunity to to increase the productivity of the entire community with the maximum number of thriving successful families and individuals.

KAREN CONGRATULATIONS !!!! You have done an excellent job as the ED.

My concern is the procurement department and the inability to get answers to questions back timely if at all.

Second please try to hire more minority businesses, I know its not your fault or problem but maybe working with the city to help them to be more prepared. So much money goes to non MBE, WBE businesses its a shame.

As a minority business owner myself who throughout the years has worked with the authority it has been difficult. When I formed a WHITE company with WHITE people as the owners it went smoothly.

@anonymous, the job is FEDERAL and really has no money from the city. The job is difficult and very taxing, it's hard to judge what most jobs are actually worth regionally. I would suggest for you to make a request to do a half day shadowing her and then write your comment. I have been on committees with Karen and yes she actually does care. In the private sector she would be close to doubling her salary with bonuses. Also remember of the $215,000.00 after taxes she receives $143,333.00. $11,944.00 a month, $2,388.89 a week $477.98 a day $59.75 an hour for an eight hour day which she most likely puts in 50 plus hours a week then her hourly rate take home is $47.80. Now as a former contractor to the authority, no disrespect but Karen you must love the city because you're underpaid. She is responsible for the health, welfare and safety of probably 3-5,000 people, hundreds of millions of dollars, probably hundreds of locations, hundreds of employees and so on. Also remember what it cost for her education and kids education as well. My uncle drives Uber and makes $600.00 a day, 20% more than the ED.

I am not defending the salary but if you don't have the facts or even close don't seek on it. I wouldn't do it, you wouldn't do it so, don't hate the player hate the game. ED's in NY, CA, ATL and so one make a lot more than NH but the responsibility goes way up. There are jobs on line right now paying almost double with a quarter of her experience. Do your research, better yet don't hate appreciate !!!

as a somewhat regular visitor to multiple HANH properties over the past 33+ years, the biggest and best changes have come under KDW's stewardship. She does a great job under trying circumstances. Can't wait until Level /Wayfayer St's are gone, and hoping she turns S.Genesee St over as well. Well deserved contract.

We should hand over ownership of the public housing units at deeply discounted prices to those occupants who want to be homeowners. Give them 'skin in the game' and turn them into taxpayers. Generally speaking I'm not into giveaways, but people at the bottom of the economic ladder need a leg up and a reason to hope.

Dennis Serfilippi

Karen is a good person but $215K? IDK

We are truly blessed to have Karen DuBois Walton in this incredibly tough and complex role She has served this community with grace and intelligence through good times and bad As a New Haven resident for many years I am grateful for her willingness to serve .This job requires a wider range of skills and compassion than most CEO positions without the perqs!

It is challenging to figure out how someone who works for as a government employee can be paid multiples of what your average person is paid. I would further argue that the job she does is mediocre at best. the independent ran an article pre Covid about living conditions in some of the buildings she runs, and the results were slumlord level. I'm sure it would get even worse if they did a follow up article and actually dig into things.

She has also been in charge of glendower which spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a single apartment in new haven(!) which makes them more expensive per square foot then any other building in New Haven. It is also more then the cost of buying a 3 family house to house 3 families (instead of 1 in her shiny new apartment) AND pay another family's rent in full for 5 years.

So do I think she's been successful? Maybe for herself, but not for the city of new haven, and the housing challenged people of new haven who are relying on her.