Mayor Bill de Blasio stepped up his support Thursday for his embattled Housing Authority chief — and blasted calls for her resignation as a politically motivated “cheap stunt.”
De Blasio, who is vacationing in Connecticut, tweeted that NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye “is turning NYCHA around and she isn’t going anywhere.”
“She didn’t create the agency’s shortcomings — she’s the one I trust to fix them,” he added.
“It’s a cheap stunt to call for her to step down, one that puts political ambition ahead of the urgent needs of NYCHA’s residents.”
Hizzoner’s remarks came about 30 minutes after The Post exclusively revealed that Public Advocate Tish James would publicly call for Olatoye’s resignation over a scandal involving potential lead-paint hazards in 55,000 NYCHA apartments.
James decided to act following a 90-minute meeting during which Olatoye, appointed by de Blasio in 2014, tried “throwing her staff under the bus,” according to a source familiar with the matter.
She later tweeted from her official Public Advocate account: “After meeting w/ the NYCHA Chair today, it is clear that it is time for sweeping operational changes, independent monitoring, and transparency at the City’s Housing Authority. Most importantly, it’s time for new leadership and a fresh start at NYCHA.”
Several other pols have also demanded new leadership at NYCHA since the Department of Investigation on Tuesday issued a damning report that revealed how Olatoye falsely told the feds the apartments had been inspected annually, as required by law.
City Councilman Rafael Salamanca Jr. (D-Bronx), who lived in public housing as a child, on Thursday morning called for called for Olatoye’s immediate ouster, saying her actions were “incompetent at best, negligent at worst.”
“While I personally have enjoyed my friendship with Chair Olatoye, I feel that I cannot stand aside any longer in calling out the problems at NYCHA,” he said.