"I think it may very well have been a complete and total violation of the board regulations," Street said. "Someone in the authority took the position that it therefore did not have to come to the board."
He declined to say who might have made that decision, or whether it would be cause for dismissal. In the sexual-harassment cases, the total of payments made or under negotiation is approaching $900,000.
How the agency negotiated the payments - and who was involved in the decisions - has not been revealed. The PHA's insurance contract has a $150,000 deductible for claims against the executive director.
Street shed some light on the process Thursday, after the board suspended Greene. He said the agency's practice apparently was to pay the deductibles by reimbursing the insurance carrier, rather than by making payments to the person receiving the money.
"The authority would write a check to the insurance carrier, as opposed to writing a check to plaintiffs. This may have been a way of getting around the board regulation," he said.
The harassment claims and reports of other questionable actions by agency staff have prompted a federal investigation involving the U.S. Attorney's Office and others.
The PHA was served with a subpoena Thursday requesting the preservation of a wide range of internal documents. A copy obtained Friday by The Inquirer specifically cites the e-mails of the agency's public safety director, Richard Zappile.
Zappile has publicly acknowledged that he routinely asked vendors and staff to attend and pay for dinners honoring Greene.
