Reprinted from the November 25, 2020, Advocate.
Thank You for 25 Years
By Tim Kaiser, Executive Director
PHADA Executive Director Tim Kaiser.
In early December 1995, I received a telephone call from then PHADA President Gerald Nicely (Nashville, TN), who greeted me in his direct and concise style. “Kaiser, Nicely here. It is in your hands. You are now in charge. Good luck.”
If you told me then that I would now be acknowledging this milestone anniversary, I would have bet against it. In fact, it was questionable whether PHADA would exist another 25 weeks as we were on the brink of insolvency and there was some consideration of dissolving the organization.
How bad was the situation in late 1995? PHADA’s Executive Director and another staffer had been dismissed that summer for a variety of reasons. A special search committee, aided by former HUD Assistant Secretary Joe Schiff, interviewed several candidates including me to replace the ED, but they chose someone else. That individual conditionally accepted, pending a thorough review of PHADA’s financial situation. After scrutinizing the troubled state of our books, she declined, prompting the phone call I received from President Nicely, a man I regarded highly and relied on considerably during my early tenure. Ironically, PHADA’s poor financial condition helped me obtain the job.
Prior to my appointment, I had been the organization’s Deputy Director and one of its legislative assistants going back to the early ‘90s. Some members, colleagues and staff have occasionally asked why I have stayed so long. My response: the people and the mission.
The People
I have had the opportunity to work with, and on behalf of, thousands of talented and dedicated housing professionals from all over the country. I have traveled to many members’ properties witnessing firsthand their commitment in assisting millions of low-income Americans oftentimes under challenging circumstances. This part of the job alone has been very rewarding.
Housing agency professionals have a difficult job that is often misunderstood and unfairly maligned. I am amazed how innovative and successful our members are despite facing heavy regulatory burdens and receiving inadequate funding. Moreover, there is the all too frequent Washington dysfunction that can impede operations (i.e., not knowing your budget until you are well into your agency’s fiscal year due to Continuing Resolutions or lengthy government shutdowns). Our members’ efforts to overcome these challenges have motivated me and other staff to work harder in furtherance of PHADA’s objectives.
I am very proud that PHADA has consistently been true to its mission in our advocacy with HUD and Congress, regardless of political considerations. The best interests of the membership – and the residents they serve – have always been the Board’s paramount objective.
It would be unfair of me to mention names of the many members and staff that I have had the pleasure to work with the last 25 years. There would be too many unintentional omissions because of spacing or my memory’s limitations. Special thanks to the dozen PHADA Presidents with whom I have so closely worked. All have been mentors, confidantes, and friends to me, and dedicated leaders of this organization.
I have been fortunate that we possess the resources to hire and retain top notch personnel. We have had some accomplished individuals work for PHADA over the years. I believe this is why we have long had the most analytical, best-written newsletter and are such effective advocates at HUD and on Capitol Hill. Like me, some staff stayed quite a while because of the positive working environment. Much to my satisfaction, some have continued to work with us part-time even after their departure.
PHADA’s staff works closely with our members on every aspect of the association’s mission. This productive collaboration has helped us build our membership base, raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships for deserving youth, and contributed to respected professional development initiatives such as our Rutgers University EDEP program, among others. Over the years, our policy analysts have provided invaluable information and insights to members, HUD’s team, congressional staff, and members of Congress too. I believe our analysts are the best in the business.
I miss many of our deceased members and staff and hold fond memories of the times we spent together. Some of the individuals that come immediately to mind: DeWitt Boosel, Judy Browne, Floyd Carter, Curt Hiebert, John Johnson, Nancy Lynchild, Neil Molloy, Hazel Mosley, Bob Neill, John Roughan, Cheryl Wegner. They and many others no longer with us helped guide me and the organization.
The Mission
I am very proud that PHADA has consistently been true to its mission in our advocacy with HUD and Congress, regardless of political considerations. The best interests of the membership – and the residents they serve – have always been the Board’s paramount objective. This is another reason I have remained with the association so long. PHADA’s leaders are not afraid to take principled positions even though they may not always be easy to promote or defend in the politicized corridors of Washington.
The diversity of our membership is a great strength. Although our 1,900 members obviously harbor many different political views, they adhere to a common philosophy that I firmly believe in too: The most effective and responsive housing policies can best be determined at the local level – not in Washington – within certain broad federal parameters.
If I were to choose one particular achievement of which I am most proud, it would be our successful litigation against HUD’s illegal 2012 operating reserves recapture.
In my mind, the lawsuit embodies every positive feature of the association: The bold leadership and determination of the Board of Trustees and hundreds of members who chose to stand for what was right and take on a harmful HUD-authored scheme when some others were unwilling to do so; the brilliant work of our lawyers at Coan and Lyons, who crafted a strong case that yielded $130 million in damages; and the diligence of our staff to develop and spread the message to increase participation in the suit, benefiting many members and hundreds of thousands of residents. (By the way, PHADA won a second similar multimillion-dollar lawsuit on summary judgment. HUD opted to appeal its loss and that appeal will be heard in the coming months.)
To be sure, there have been frustrations and setbacks. There is still far too much micromanagement and unnecessary red tape in assisted housing programs, which we will continue to oppose while promoting common sense flexible policies. As always, HAs require adequate funding, and the backlog of unmet capital needs is an enormous obstacle. In addition, our Board has recognized we must do more to address the racial inequities that persist in our programs. I am looking forward to working with our team to address these important priorities in the coming months and years.
Conclusion
As I noted, PHADA faced insolvency 25 years ago. With the valued and expert guidance of our longtime accounting firm, Polcari and Company, the staff and Board were able to resolve PHADA’s financial problems. By the turn of this century, we had climbed well out of the hole, ceremoniously burning the mortgage on our headquarters building. Today, the organization remains in solid financial condition and our membership is strong.
Some of you have been to our Capitol Hill office, located just steps away from the U.S. Supreme Court and Senate office buildings. For just about half of my lifetime I have commuted to and from it, past the U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument and the Martin Luther King and Lincoln Memorials. Those impressive landmarks and the history behind them still inspire and remind me how fortunate I am to help lead this fine organization. I was grateful to have been the search committee’s second choice 25 years ago, still feel the same, and plan to be around well into the future. Thank you for affording me the opportunity.