Salem Housing Authority Board Member Resigns​

SALEM, MA -- Salem Housing Authority Vice Chairman resigned from the board. Milo, who was the longest serving member of the board, was one of three members to vote in favor of allocating $5,000 of the authority's money to pay for a retirement party last month. That motion passed by a vote of 3-1, with Mayor Kim Driscoll -- who sits on the board and appoints its members -- casting the lone dissenting vote.

"Please accept my resignation from the Salem Housing Authority Board effective immediately," Milo wrote in his resignation letter. "It has been a privilege to serve on this board, and I wish you all the best."

Milo told the Salem Gazette, which first reported this story, the vote did not factor into his decision to resign. "It’s just time to go," he told the newspaper.

Milo, Maureen Call and Chairman John Boris voted in favor of spending the $5,000 for a retirement party for Executive Director Carol MacGowan. The party had already been booked at the time of the vote, and there was no mention of inviting housing authority residents to the party, even though the money is explicitly provided to the SHA to support Section 8 and housing-related activities, according to the meeting minutes.

"The Housing Authority did provide a message from their accountant suggesting that the use of these dollars was allowed for a retirement party; however, I don't feel comfortable using public dollars to support a retirement party for a departing employee," Driscoll said after the vote. "I would be happy to buy a ticket or personally contribute to the celebration, as is the normal course when city employees retire."

For more on this story, see the Salem Gazette.