THE HOUSING AUTHORITY MEETING

FOR YEARS, TRIBAL MEMBERS HAVE BEEN TOLD AT MEETINGS, THAT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO TRIBAL MEMBERS. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT MEETS THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT 5:30 P.M. AT FORT HILL ELDER HOUSING.

LAST MONTH, FOUR MEMBERS OF THE MOHEGAN TRIBE, WENT TO THE HOUSING AUTHORITY MEETING TO PARTICIPATE. IT WAS A GOOD MEETING. THE CHAIRMAN AND THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY CONDUCTED A VERY CORDIAL MEETING. IT WAS QUITE INFORMATIVE.

WE PUBLISHED IN BROKENWING EDITORIALS THAT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY MEETING WAS TO BE HELD AT FORT HILL ELDER HOUSING ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2008.

WHEN I ARRIVED AROUND 5:30 P.M., I WAS TOLD THE MEETING HAD BEEN MOVED TO THE GOVERNMENT BUILDING. A THE HOUSING AUTHORITY MEMBER ARRIVED AND WAS TOLD THE MEETING HAD BEEN MOVED. HE HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. WHY WAS IT MOVED? COULD IT BE THE HOUSING AUTHORITY REALLY DID NOT WANT TRIBAL MEMBERS TO ATTEND? HOW COME AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF BEING TOLD TO COME TO MEETING, AND WE DO. NOW THEY MOVE IT?

MAY I REMIND YOU, FORT HILL HAS A CONFERENCE ROOM WHERE THE MEETING HAS ALWAYS BEEN HELD . WE ALSO HAVE THE GATHERING ROOM WHICH CAN HOLD APPROXIMATELY FIFTY OR MORE PEOPLE. BOTH ROOMS WERE DARK AND NOT IN USE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. IF THE ROOM IS NOT GOING TO BE USED AS A CONFERENCE ROOM FOR THE HOUSING AUTHORITY MEETING , THEN WHY CAN'T IT BE CONVERTED TO THE NURSES-HEALTH AIDE AREA? THIS WAY WE WOULD HAVE ANOTHER APARTMENT FOR THE ELDERS OF THE MOHEGAN TRIBE TO USE INSTEAD OF A NURSES AND HEALTH AID STATION.

MAYBE THE HOUSING AUTHORITY SHOULD HAVE NOTIFIED PEOPLE OF THE CHANGE. I HAD GONE TO WATCH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY DO ITS BUSINESS (TRIBAL BUSINESS) IN THE OPEN SESSION. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? WHY THE CHANGE OF VENUE? DOES ANYONE KNOW?