Minutes after decrying a shortage of maintenance workers in a New York City Housing Authority Upper West Side housing project, HUD Regional Director Lynne Patton got stuck in one of the buildings’ elevators. Patton—a former Trump family event planner with no previous housing policy experience who the president appointed in 2017—has been staying in Manhattan’s Frederick Douglass Houses as part of a month-long stay in at the city’s housing projects. “@LynnePattonHUD and Douglass Houses tenant leader say there are only three maintenance workers for 19 buildings here,” tweeted NY1 News’ Courtney Gross. About 20 minutes later, Gross tweeted a video of FDNY workers trying to rescue Patton from the stuck elevator. She was reportedly in the elevator for 10 minutes before being rescued. NYCHA has faced condemnation for years over its inability to provide basic services—including heat and hot water—for its hundreds of thousands of residents. Patton reportedly said Tuesday that she and HUD Secretary Ben Carson are scheduling time to meet with Trump over the housing conditions.
-Victoria Albert
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