BUFFALO, NY — The oft-troubled Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority now needs a new executive director.
Dawn Sanders-Garrett, who has been with the BMHA for 12 years, announced her resignation at Thursday's meeting and it was unanimously approved by the BMHA's board of commissioners. It is effective immediately.
The cash-strapped housing authority has faced several issues of late, including tenants living without heat and water, bedbug problems, and residents' complaints going unanswered.
According to BMHA board chairman David Rodriguez, a replacement has not been announced yet. Rodriguez said the board will go through a procurement process to find candidates. It hopes to choose a procurement company by April 12, and then give the company about a month to recommend replacement candidates.
Rodriguez refused to answer questions related to Sanders-Garrett's reason for resigning.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown released the following statement on her resignation:
Dawn Sanders-Garrett has resigned from the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority and the BMHA Board has accepted her resignation. I thank her for her more than 10 years of service to the BMHA and wish her well in her future endeavors. I am looking forward to a positive future for BHMA and working with the new leadership in confronting the challenges that public housing authorities face across the country on a daily basis. Sadly, the current administration in Washington has not made public housing a priority.
