By Andrea Gregory

A seven-year member of the Somerville Housing Authority (SHA) might lose her title since aldermen recently approved revoking her reappointment.

Mary Griffin, tenant commissioner for SHA, is still performing the duties that come with a job she talks about with enthusiasm. However, Somerville has decided to comply with a state law it has been ignoring under the current administration. That move puts Griffin’s status with SHA to be determined.

According to Cambridge & Somerville Legal Services Office, a division of Greater Boston Legal Services, the city did not follow Massachusetts General Law Chapter 121B when it reappointed Griffin as the tenant housing commissioner. There was never public notice and public opinion was not sought.

Under the law, tenant organizations are given the opportunity to make recommendations for the position. Each organization is allowed to submit between two and five nominations during a 60-day timeframe. Then an interview process occurs based on the recommendations. The mayor has 30 days the select an individual for the job following the recommendations. The final step requires approval from the Board of Aldermen.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said once it was brought to the attention of city officials that proper procedures were not followed, actions to rectify the matter were taken quickly.

David Shapiro, the assistant city solicitor, is working to correct the situation involving Griffin’s reappointment. This week letters are going out to tenants calling for them to weigh in on who they feel is best suited for the role of housing commissioner, he said.
Shapiro said as far as he knows the city is not in the process of examining other reappointments.

Ellen Shachter, of Cambridge & Somerville Legal Services, said Mystic Tenants Association, one of Somerville’s tenant organizations, first brought the issue to her offices. She said no one from the tenant organization could remember being asked for public input about the tenant commissioner position and some people were looking to offer comments.

On Feb. 16, the city received notification from Greater Boston Legal Services on behalf of the Mystic Tenants Organization. The letter stated Somerville had failed to comply with state requirements in the reappointment of Griffin, including that the reappointment had occurred without public notice.

After reviewing the notification, the city’s legal department determined the accusation was correct and encouraged the Board of Aldermen to revoke the reappointment that was unlawfully granted by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone.

Griffin first joined the Housing Authority in 2000 under the administration of former Mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay. She was later reappointed by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone in 2005.

According to Shatcher, Gay helped amend the law to require municipalities to provide tenants with notice for reappoints and have the chance to make comments. The law went into affect statewide in 1996.

“My guess is that it was an oversight with the change in administration,” she said.

She said the important lesson is that municipalities need to ensure solid  communication is taking place when new mayors take over. She said it is important that officials are aware of the law and following it.

“It’s making sure the process has integrity,” she said. “We wanted to make sure there was a fair and open process.”

Griffin did not fight the call by the city’s legal department of the aldermen’s decision to take her official title. She currently is filling in for the Housing Authority while the city attempts to retrace its steps and follow the proper protocol for appointing a person to the Housing Authority.

Griffin said she is still putting her all into a job she truly enjoys even if she is technically considered a holdover for now.

“I love my job. I love people,” she said with a cheery voice.

Griffin said she felt honored to be selected twice to serve and never thought anything was wrong until the city was notified by legal services. 

Griffin said she knows their will be a few other candidates vying for her seat but is trying to remain optimistic and hopes she can continue her work.

“I would love to stay. You just need to wait and see what happens,” she said.