Ex-Falls housing authority exec Scott gets second city job

Mark Scheer, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·2 min read

Jul. 28—Recently dismissed Niagara Falls Housing Authority Director Clifford Scott has a new job in Niagara Falls, his second in city government.

The Niagara Gazette has confirmed that Mayor Robert Restaino's administration has appointed Scott as acting director of code enforcement.

He replaces, in an acting capacity, the former code enforcement director Corey Baskerville, who resigned in April.

City Administrator Anthony Restaino confirmed Scott's appointment on Thursday. He said it was made to "have a designated manager to oversee administration of the department." Scott will receive a $10,000 stipend for the position, according to Restaino.

Scott did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the newspaper.

Scott, who continues to serve as the city's director of community development, was relieved of his duties as the Falls housing authority's top administrative following a meeting of the authority's board of commissioners earlier this month.

In the wake of his departure from the housing authority, Maralynn Giancola, chairperson of the authority's board of commissioners, would not discuss the reasons behind his exit and would only say that Scott was no longer with the organization.

"Cliff Scott is no longer employed with the Niagara Falls Housing Authority," she said in response to questions from the newspaper. "We want to thank him for his service to the authority and wish him the best on his future endeavors."

Scott's departure followed visits paid the housing authority's 10th Street headquarters by examiners from the New York State Comptroller's Office.

The Gazette confirmed, through Jennifer Freeman, a spokesperson for state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, that examiners from her office were at the housing authority's headquarters during the first week of June. Freeman declined to explain the reason or the nature of the visit, saying only that examiners were on site before declining additional comment.

At the time, Scott said representatives from the state comptroller's office were performing an assessment of housing authority operations and that, during a May 31 "entrance conference with members of the state comptroller's team, it was conveyed to the authority that it was not a formal "audit."

"It's our understanding that the New York State Office of the State Comptroller performs assessments of public authority's around the state," Scott said in a statement amid the visit by the state examiners. "NFHA welcomes any feedback from the NY Office of the State Comptroller to improve how we deliver housing services to our residents in Niagara Falls."

The Niagara Gazette previously reported in March that Scott had been placed on leave pending a meeting of the authority's board. The newspaper also reported, following a 90-minute meeting behind closed doors in executive session on March 6 that Scott, who had been placed on leave on Feb. 21, resumed his duties as housing authority chief effective March 7, the day after the board meeting.