The Homestead Housing Authority Board
May 28, 2012
By E-mail
Members of the Board
Homestead Housing Authority
Miami, FL
I will not be attending the Board meeting of the Homestead Housing Authority scheduled on May 29, 2012 at 5:00 pm.
I adamantly refuse to work with Homestead Housing Authority Executive Director, Oscar Hentschel.
I find it increasingly difficult to sit at a table with an Executive Director who, refers to me, a long-standing over 4-year member of the Board, by what is considered to be among the most abhorrent and inflammatory racial slurs. He has made vile sexual remarks about “what I need and that he would get a friend to take care of it” (paraphrasing, or words to that effect.)
The same vile sexual remarks I am told were also made about a female member of the press and a second Board member.
Adding to that, the unjust and subjective termination of Robert Simmons, a 30-year veteran and the only African-American of the Authority by the Executive Director and whose personnel file is squeaky clean, demonstrates to me that racism is alive and well at the Homestead Housing Authority. I strongly believe this termination was nothing more than a revolting case of open racism.
Further, I requested information from Oscar Hentschel over a week ago which, to date, has not been forthcoming. I can only deduct that he has no intention of providing such information to me.
I believe any intelligent official would find these remarks and his silent refusal to provide the information I requested as offensive and insubordinate.
Please be reminded that a sexual harassment claim against Oscar Hentschel was filed with the EEOC by an employee whom he fired three weeks after the complaint was filed.
Perhaps Oscar Hentschel should be reminded that he works for the Housing Authority Board which includes me and his perverted remarks and insubordination will not be tolerated.
Consequently, I suggest that Oscar Hentschel be terminated immediately and replaced with a professional and qualified Executive Director who understands that the Authority is a public agency and there are laws and regulations which must be followed to its core. Decency and decorum are also required and using lewd language as described above is crude and obscene.
I consider my duties as a member of the Board of the Homestead Housing Authority as a public servant to be important and a public trust. It should be conducted with integrity, dignity and sensitivity and beyond reproach by Board members and staff alike. He has been allowed to carry on with his loose leadership style to the detriment of the Authority. It is about time the Board does its duty and speak up about this man who they forced on the community.
Clearly Oscar Hentschel’s demeanor and foul language do not compute with the professional standard befitting a public agency paid for by the taxpayers.
Coupled with my innate sense of compassion and decency, nurtured on matters of comportment by strict parenting, I find it offensive to be placed in a position of having my character compromised by association.
I have no intention of resigning from this Board, but will refrain from attending any meetings until this matter is settled and Oscar Hentschel is removed.
Consider these responses to two separate Miami Herald articles:
“I know Oscar Clemente Henstchel from when he worked at Univision Inc., he is a cruel, heartless man, always alone, not many friends, a real wierdo. I wonder how he got that job at Homestead Housing Authority. Was his background checked? He is an accountant...not a director…That job is way out of his league...someone should really look into this, before he does any more harm to those people.”
“Humester5678 …The Attorney General needs to step in, and clean out this bunch, Hentschel go back to Univision, oops, you cant..right??? want to share why???”
I suggest there is much more to Oscar Hentschel than meets the eye especially when those who claim to know him from his last employment over two years ago make comments in the press as quoted above? Who then can deny that the above two comments have raised a red flag? Why then is there so much resistance to a background check by the Board which, by the way, is required for employment at the Authority?
Having been forced to work with a man having none of the required qualifications for the position he holds, and now to be subjected to this crude and debased behavior, I see no reason to compromise my principles by continuing to be subjected to the vulgarity of a senior member of the staff.
Sincerely,Lois Jones, Member
Homestead Housing Authority Board
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