Controversial president of SAHA posts resignation
But current Chairman Ramiro Cavazos said Alvarez likely would have received mixed results on his evaluation by the new board...Cavazos said. “I think an area where we probably would have said might have needed improvement would be in connecting better to grass-roots organizations ... that really are the service providers of the folks that we house.”

Controversial president of SAHA posts resignation
“06/13/2008

I think it would be a mischaracterization if one were to suggest that I am leaving San Antonio because of something that occurred here in San Antonio, whatever that might be,” he said. “I am a career professional. This is an upward move in the career ladder for me. And I think San Francisco saw it that way, and I think I see it that way.”

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom acknowledged that officials there knew of perceived problems in Alvarez's dealings with community and grass-roots organizations.

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“We're aware of that; we'll work with him,” he said. “We've talked to him a lot about that. No one comes to the job a perfect human being.”

Calling Alvarez “the man,” Amos Brown, the head of San Francisco's Housing Authority Commission, said “there will always be naysayers, including members of that (San Antonio) commission.”

Alvarez's departure closes a chapter on a sweeping repositioning of the housing authority that began in January, when Mayor Phil Hardberger installed a new board of commissioners.

“There has been consistent criticism of SAHA and how it was run, before Henry and while he was here,” Hardberger said. “Could it have been run better? No doubt that it could have. And no doubt it will be a big problem for whoever steps into those shoes.”

Alvarez received consistently high marks from the previous board, led by bank executive Phil Nelson.

“I think he did a good job,” Nelson said. “If you look back on what he did, he corrected a number of problems.”

Nelson credits Alvarez with solving inherited issues, saving the city millions of dollars in “lost income and waste” and initiating new housing projects.

But current Chairman Ramiro Cavazos said Alvarez likely would have received mixed results on his evaluation by the new board.

“I would say that we would have rated Henry very high with respect to asset management and recruiting of staff for the different facilities that we manage,” Cavazos said. “I think an area where we probably would have said might have needed improvement would be in connecting better to grass-roots organizations ... that really are the service providers of the folks that we house.”

Cavazos said “there are some solid accomplishments that Henry provided,” but Alvarez's replacement will include other talents, too, such as being “very hands-on with the grass-roots community related to housing.”

Alvarez was hired in 2004 when negations with the top candidate for the job fell through.

One of the most notorious problems that he inherited was the troubled Mirasol Homes subdivision, where residents long have complained of shoddy construction. Though the project was completed long before Alvarez arrived, critics say he didn't do enough to quickly resolve persistent issues at the West Side project.

“My personal opinion is I'm glad he's leaving. I think he took too long to try to clean up the situation,” said Estefana Adame-Battle, a resident representative on the Mirasol Task Force that was created in May 2007 in response to residents' complaints.

Ralph Velasquez, a housing activist and task force member, said Alvarez lacked essential experience.

“He handled it as best he was capable of. This was an issue that was not of his making, but sometimes inexperience compounds problems,” he said. “I think an experienced person would have handled it in a more effective way.”

Alvarez, who lived in public housing projects in New Orleans until he was 11, has said Mirasol's notoriety created a distraction for the media that allowed him to work on projects that transcend the stereotypical perception of public housing.

He points to developments such as Victoria Commons, a mixed-income development near Durango Boulevard and Interstate 37 that replaced Victoria Courts, one of the city's most notorious, crime-riddled housing projects; Midcrown, a seniors complex that includes a beauty salon and media room; and W.C. White, a 75-unit senior housing community that had been boarded up since 1999.

“This has been an extraordinary time for me, an extraordinary opportunity for me,” he said. “And it's not just me. We have a ton of employees here who have bent over backwards to do things that I've asked them to do.

“It's that work that folks here have done that gives me this opportunity in San Francisco,” he said. “And if I can be half of what I was here, I think we'll be OK.”

However, Alvarez sometimes was at odds with SAHA staffers, and in one documented incident displayed a flash of temper.

Then-Chairman Nelson wrote a letter on Dec. 4, 2007, reprimanding Alvarez for an “inappropriate outburst” at Deborah Flach, a member of his executive team.

Flach filed a grievance alleging Alvarez retaliated against her, questioned her professional conduct and required her to communicate with him through his chief of staff. She also alleged he excluded her from meetings regarding her departmental responsibilities.

“While subordinate employees must follow your lead and respect your authority, they should not be treated in a manner that could infringe on their legal rights or expose the authority to potential liability,” Nelson wrote.

The letter directed Alvarez to “refrain from engaging in any inappropriate conduct” and warned of further disciplinary actions — including termination — if his behavior persisted.

Cavazos said the board must now appoint an interim president and begin a search for a permanent replacement — someone who sees SAHA's greatest asset as the people who live in subsidized housing.

“We're not going to go with the normal, standard approach,” Cavazos said. “I think we're going to need to find someone who is a strong leader who can help the housing authority respond better to the community.”

Alvarez said his compensation package in San Francisco will be similar or better than his salary and benefits in San Antonio, where he earns $151,200 annually and receives $600 a month for a car allowance. The San Antonio Express-News previously reported that his compensation package is worth about $225,000 annually.

Staff Writer Guillermo X. Garcia and San Francisco Chronicle reporter Rob Selna contributed to this report.