Housing Authority

Three state lawmakers from Baltimore are calling on Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to find a way for the city's housing authority to pay nearly $12 million in lead-poisoning judgments against it, disputing her claim that "it is not possible" to pay and suggesting the agency could borrow the money if necessary. In a stern letter to the mayor, the legislators criticize the Housing Authority of Baltimore City for using "frivolous and delaying legal tactics" to avoid paying the judgments — even in cases where the authority agreed to the amount.

The mayor pleading poverty and Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano being "totally sympathetic and sensitive" are unacceptable and insulting excuses for Baltimore's not paying lead-poisoning judgments where children have suffered brain damage while living in city public housing. Putting major capital needs before our children should be reason enough to cause the City Council to call into question the actions of the housing authority and other agencies at a public hearing I concur totally with Del. Samuel "Sandy" Rosenberg that "the housing authority has to find a way to meet its legal obligation to the children whom a jury and a judge found were poisoned for life because of the negligence of the housing authority.

Echoing her housing commissioner, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Monday that Baltimore's public housing authority has decided "it is not possible" to pay lead-poisoning judgments that could one day exceed $800 million because the money is needed to improve living conditions for thousands of poor families. But Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg, who helped write Maryland's 1996 lead law, said Monday that the authority cannot plead poverty when children suffered brain damage while living in public housing.

I read in Sunday's paper that city officials in the Housing Authority outright refuse to pay financial damages to plaintiffs who have won financial awards against due to damages their children endured while residing in public housing ( "Baltimore housing authority says it won't pay millions in lead poisoning judgments," April 3). It was noted chipped paint containing lead was all over the window sills in the public housing units. How is it acceptable that the city will not pay financial damages when they hold city landlords to a totally different standard?

Antonio Fulgham can barely read or write. The 21-year-old from West Baltimore has been deemed "mentally retarded," with bleak job prospects. He blames his plight on lead poisoning he suffered as a toddler while growing up amid flaking paint in two Baltimore public housing units. Last fall a city jury agreed, and ordered the Housing Authority of Baltimore City to pay him damages that amount to $1.27 million. Although nothing can undo his brain damage, Fulgham says the money will mean "a better change in my life.

A legal challenge to the Annapolis Housing Authority's practice of banning people from the public agency's residential complexes was settled Friday, leading to a new policy on how the agency will deal with people it doesn't want on its grounds. Deborah Jeon, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, said she was pleased that the organization, on behalf of tenants, was "able to achieve our goal of reforming the policy. " For years, tenants had complained that their relatives were not allowed to visit under a "banning list" that was easy to get on and hard to get off, with vague policies and procedures.

Elias Augustus "Tink" Dorsey, a seasoned city administrator whose career spanned from educator to serving as deputy commissioner of the Housing Authority of the City of Baltimore, died Monday of pancreatic cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The longtime Woodlawn resident was 69. Dr. Dorsey, the son of a contractor and a homemaker, was born in Baltimore and raised in the city's Pimlico neighborhood. The origin of Dr. Dorsey's nickname of "Tink" or "Tinker," which he had picked up in his childhood and remained with him for the rest of his life, derived from a keen interest in tinkering with and fixing all variety of gadgets, said Daniel P. Henson III, the former city housing commissioner, who became friends with him when both were students at what is now Morgan State University.

Joy Tarter-Smith, a retired city housing relocation official, died of cancer July 1 at Season's Hospice in Randallstown. The Howard Park resident was 74. Born Joy Newsome in Washington, she moved to Baltimore and was a 1953 St. Frances Academy graduate. She attended Hampton Institute and earned a bachelor's degree at Morgan State University in 1958. She worked as a substitute teacher in Baltimore schools before joining the Department of Recreation and Parks in 1961. She was a recreation leader and later became a center director.

jbayne The private company managing an Annapolis public housing complex has imposed a series of rules that tenants and their lawyers contend are unfair, unclear and violate federal regulations. The tenants of Annapolis Gardens are upset over provisions that bar large groups from congregating in many outdoor areas and make residents responsible for guests' behavior. They also question why property managers are requiring tenants age 10 and older to carry a photo identification in the complex or face being thrown off the property, and have set a $300 pet deposit that is four times higher than those charged at other city public housing developments.

Martha Benton, who was recalled as the articulate and empathetic voice of city public housing residents, died of complications from a breathing disorder Tuesday at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The East Baltimore resident was 68. Martha Benton, who was recalled as the articulate and empathetic voice of city public housing residents, died of complications from a breathing disorder Tuesday at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The East Baltimore resident was 68. "She was a cherished personal friend and a gift to the people of Baltimore," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.