PORT TOWNSEND — A Jefferson County Housing Authority commissioner is threatening to resign because of alleged agency financial mismanagement.
Housing Commissioner Michael Hyland said Monday he will step down if the situation isn’t resolved.
Hyland claims Housing Authority Executive Director John Estes wrote checks in June knowing there were insufficient funds to cover them.
The Peninsula Daily News on Tuesday reviewed copies of 15 bounced checks totaling $5,741. Eleven of the checks were covered by the housing authority’s overdraft policy through First Federal Saving and Loan Association of Port Angeles.
Four of the checks were returned without being paid.
All of the checks were signed in June by Estes and Housing Authority Commissioner Mark Gordon.
Calls Tuesday to three other Housing Authority commissioners — Mark S. Gordon, LeRoy Hornbeck and Larry Wilson — as well as Estes, were not returned Tuesday.
Commissioner Julia Cochrane doesn’t agree with Hyland’s assessment.
“It’s a relatively new organization,” she said. “I wouldn’t say it’s mismanaged.
“Most housing autorities own something. We rely totally on admin fees and the good will of the city and the county.”
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The rest of the story appears in the Wednesday Peninsula Daily News. Click on SUBSCRIBE to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.