Tenant leaders report on activities; board says it will redact video after an online attack on the meeting

Representatives from two local tenant organizations updated the Northampton Housing Authority at the August meeting and raised access and communications concerns, and the board reported that the meeting was disrupted by an online attack.

Mister Kirdorf, representing the ForeSander local tenant organization, told commissioners it's increasingly difficult to find the meeting link and agenda — "It's not posted on the buildings anymore," he said — and requested that staff circulate the link and agenda to tenants. He also reported that the housing authority's phone message still plays a recording recorded by "Jack Redmond, who hasn't worked here in a year," and suggested re-recording the message.

Mister Waida of the Walter Salvo tenant organization reported the group had recently held elections (president and vice president won by about 62%), approved a simplified bylaws package and budget, established floor representatives and an executive secretary, scheduled bimonthly meetings and social events, and rolled out tenant programs including computer classes, sewing instruction and cleanup committees. He said the MOU has been turned over to the executive director for review and signature.

Late in the meeting the chair reported the session had been the target of an online attack and that staff had identified an assumed name associated with it. The chair said she would follow up with police and asked IT staff to redact (black out) the offending portion of the Zoom recording before submitting the meeting recording to Northampton Media so that the public would not be exposed to the images and sounds of the attack.

The board thanked tenant leaders for their reports and said it would work to improve distribution of meeting links and to address the phone-message recording issue. The meeting adjourned after a motion by Commissioner Tarbutton and a second by Commissioner Healy.