Mass. Judge Approves Housing Agency Takeover

A justice of Massachusetts' highest court recently approved a request from the state to put the Chelsea Housing Authority under receivership following the resignation of its executive director and governing board.

Judge Cordy appointed a housing consultant to serve as temporary receiver of the housing authority, which manages about 1,450 housing units in eight developments. The former head of the agency, Michael McLaughlin, resigned in early November following an uproar over his $360,000 annual salary, which apparently made him one of the highest-paid public housing officials in the country.

Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick demanded the resignation of McLaughlin and the board of directors, and requested that Attorney General Martha Coakley petition the court for receivership. Cordy, in his order, said that the state had demonstrated "good grounds for the immediate appointment of a temporary receiver for the authority."