BE FAIR, BUT BOOT RULE-BREAKERS OUT OF TAX-SUBSIDIZED HOUSING

The Tampa Housing Authority needs to review its eviction policies, but
it shouldn't back down in its stand against troublesome tenant Connie
Burton.

After a long legal battle, the authority finally evicted Burton from
Robles Park for violating the federal "One Strike and You're Out"
policy, which allows public housing tenants to be kicked out if they
are associated with illegal activities.

Burton's son was convicted of selling drugs. The rule keeps drug
dealers and other thugs from taking over public housing.

But The Tampa Tribune's John Allman found inconsistencies in how the
Tampa Housing Authority applies the law. A citizens' committee reviews
eviction cases and hears the tenants' side of the story. Its eviction
decisions are unpredictable. Allman found some residents who committed
violent acts were allowed to stay, while sometimes residents guilty of
lesser offenses were sent packing.

Some of that surely can be chalked up to extenuating circumstances.
But even Jerome Ryans, chief executive of the housing authority,
admits mistakes were made and says the process needs to be
re-evaluated. Yet he defends the One Strike committee, which gives
tenants who otherwise could be promptly evicted a chance to argue their case.

Obviously, Ryans and staff need to develop guidelines to ensure more
consistency.

But the authority was right to push its case against Burton, who spent
nearly 20 years in Robles at taxpayers' expense.

The authority has had to spend almost $500,000 in fighting Burton's
eviction challenge. The legal triumph against the International
People's Democratic Uhuru Movement activist made an important
statement about the authority's commitment to upholding the law,
regardless of the political consequences.

Moreover, Burton is a prime example of public housing abuse. The
program should help people during hard times, not provide a lifetime
retreat for individuals capable of supporting themselves.

Burton, an intelligent woman who maintained a Web site and has hosted
a radio show, treated Robles as a permanent home and demanded to stay,
regardless of the rules. Thanks to the court, she finally had to move
last year.

At the time of her eviction, she was paying $25 for a four-bedroom
apartment, where she lived with her granddaughter. She could pay her
rent from the $100-a-month utility stipend from the housing authority.

Burton says she preaches against drug use, but we have seen her mock
police patrolling the neighborhood and accuse them of racism for
trying to rid Robles of lawbreakers. The Tampa Police Department in
recent years has focused on arresting drug buyers who come into
Robles. Thanks to those efforts, officers estimate the drug trade has
been cut by two-thirds. Now children can play outside in the
afternoon without worrying about gun battles.

The authority needs to be sure its eviction policies are fair. But it
also needs to rigorously enforce its rules and let residents know a
public housing address is supposed to be temporary.