Longmont officials are asking that conflict of interest rules preventing City Manager Harold Dominguez from also serving as head of the Longmont Housing Authority be waived.
The City Council unanimously voted this week requesting that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development lift conflict of interest restrictions the agency says would keep Dominguez from continuing his leadership role with the LHA.
A resolution passed by the city council requests the potential conflict of interest may be waived for “good cause” and that Dominguez “is able to leverage his unique skills and experience to assist the LHA as it implements structural changes and that the LHA “would suffer significant hardship if the LHA did not seek a waiver of the potential conflict-of-interest.”
Since May 2020, the LHA has been governed by Dominguez and other top city officials in an effort to stabilize the agency. The Housing Authority provides low-income housing for 1,300 residents and families.
Several management problems have plagued the agency, including the resignation of executive director Jillian Baldwin and several top officials in spring 2020.
The Housing Authority entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the city. Dominguez became executive director of the authority, while several high-ranking city staff members were put in key positions.
Cameron Grant, chairman of the Housing Authority’s board of directors, in a letter in September 2020, told city council the agency saved $196,160 that would have gone to fill seven vacant positions that are now being covered by city staff members.
Dominiguez has said the city is looking at different management plans for the agency including bringing it into city government.
On Tuesday night Councilmember Marcia Martin told the council ‒ which also doubles as the board of commissioners of the Housing Authority ‒ that Dominguez and his staff steadied the Housing Authority’s low-income housing voucher program.
“It’s obvious to all of us...that things have improved especially in regard to housing choice vouchers,” Martin said. While the extra work load for Dominguez and his staff has been difficult, “it is being done for a good cause.”
