Bradenton Housing Authority again in turmoil as residents, staff speak out against director

It’s been four years since Executive Director Ellis Mitchell Jr. took the helm of the scandal-ridden Bradenton Housing Authority after its former director, Wenston DeSue, was sentenced to federal prison for a year.

While it appears the sinking ship has been righted financially, residents and former staff say they work and live in an environment plagued with fear.

Employees say they are under constant threat of losing their jobs and residents are often threatened with eviction if they speak out against what they call a “police state” under Mitchell’s leadership.

The most recent example was the firing of property manager Dionne Kucel, who was terminated Nov. 2 after speaking out at the agency’s Oct. 30 board meeting. That was one day after Mitchell learned the Bradenton Herald had been speaking to residents familiar with Kucel about what happened at the meeting.

“He cursed me out in his office, accusing me of orchestrating the letter I read, which was signed by all other employees, outlining some of our concerns with Mr. Mitchell we wanted the board of directors made aware of,” Kucel said. “When Mr. Mitchell found out a resident was dropping off your business cards at the office, he pulled me into his office and told me, ‘Get your (expletive) and get out of my (expletive) office.”

Kucel said she became fearful at the level of his anger. She grabbed her belongings and tried to leave Friday afternoon, but she had an issue with her vehicle. She walked over to the nearby Bradenton Village Apartments to use the phone to call her husband.

“Mr. Mitchell followed me over, barged into the office and took a picture of me using the phone,” Kucel said. “It was unbelievable and everyone was shocked and told me I needed to call the police, so I did.”

Mitchell has recently threatened employees’ jobs if they speak to the Bradenton Herald, and he confirmed that on Friday, noting that if a reporter even tries to contact them, “You could be responsible for them losing their jobs.”

Mitchell said he has not talked to board members since the Oct. 30 meeting, but that the board would be reaching out to employees to discuss their concerns.

Mitchell said he would not discuss Kucel’s termination and that employees have told him it was Kucel who manipulated them into speaking out against him at the Oct. 30 meeting. In his discussions with employees, Mitchell said there are no feelings about working in a hostile environment. In fact, it’s just the opposite, he said.

Kucel has no doubt she was fired in retaliation for her involvement in expressing staff’s and residents’ concerns, as well as filing two complaints about Mitchell to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

As of Monday, Lena Thompson, of the HUD Miami office, said there is currently nothing on record. However, she encouraged residents and staff who feel as if they are being retaliated against to contact her at 305-520-5090.

According to her termination papers, Mitchell fired Kucel for failing to meet deadlines related to home inspections.

Kucel, who has extensive property management experience in the private sector, said Mitchell never took the time to teach her how HUD inspections need to be documented and that he added to her workload outside of what she was hired to do. Mitchell is not being truthful about the work that she had completed, Kucel said.

Mitchell notes on Kucel’s termination form that she didn’t file an appeal to her termination within five days of her firing. But the termination letter is dated Nov. 2, the day Kucel was fired. She has since filed an appeal, disputing Mitchell’s account.

The letter to the BHA board of directors presented at the Oct. 30 board meeting is signed by all of the BHA employees. It notified the board “of the consistent workplace bullying/harassment that is going on here regarding the current Executive Director Mr. Ellis Mitchell.”

There are 23 complaints, including being shouted at and verbally humiliated; the creation of a hostile work environment; the withholding of vital information from staff; verbal aggression; constantly changing schedules; failing to pay overtime; the use of derogatory language toward Hispanics; and employees not being allowed to talk to one another unless it is work related.

Other complaints include an inability to express concerns because Mitchell is not only the executive director, but under his contract he also is the human resources director with whom an employee can typically file a complaint. Kucel said it is a glaring conflict of interest.

Residents speak about ‘jail’ living environment

A resident for almost seven years, Barbara Thompson said Kucel is someone the residents could talk to about their issues and that she tried to help. That includes a problem Thompson had with a neighbor who had threatened her. She reported the incident to Mitchell, who told Thompson the neighbor is harmless and that she was being a troublemaker, according to Thompson.

The neighbor is bipolar and several other residents have complained about his angry outbursts and inappropriate behavior toward young girls. Thompson said there were some concerns that the neighbor had a possible criminal past involving young girls, “So I asked Mr. Mitchell to please look into it and he said it was my job,” Thompson said.

Neighbors say Mitchell is putting their safety at risk.

“I just wanted someone to look into this and acknowledge that this man is a possible threat instead of telling us we are the ones wrong and instead of checking on him, he goes around the neighborhood trying to see if we are doing anything wrong,” Thompson said. “In today’s world where you are supposed to see something and say something, it doesn’t apply here. This isn’t a friendly place anymore and the people are not happy at all.”

Mitchell said he has only received one unsubstantiated complaint about the neighbor, which he referred to the agency’s attorney. But multiple neighbors told the Bradenton Herald they have complained about the man.

Thompson also said Mitchell retaliates if anyone complains about something he disagrees with and makes statements about possible evictions.

“He expects me to be intimidated, but I’m sorry, I’m 71 and have been around,” Thompson said. “If I know I’m right, then the devil with you. I’m a firm believer in karma. It may take a while, but it will happen.”

The Bradenton Herald received several phone calls after Kucel was fired saying it was the wrong thing to do for the housing authority and its residents. Several cited Mitchell behaving aggressively toward residents and yelling at them, including one incident where a resident wanted to set up a bounce house for her son’s birthday and another incident when Mitchell cursed at people for parking in the wrong spot, though it was just someone dropping off items to her daughter.

Kucel said employees are threatened at every turn, but those threats became increasingly aggressive if Mitchell discovers an employee having conversations about him with residents. Several employees were called into his office recently and “chewed out” by Mitchell over an incident where he only suspected a conversation had occurred, Kucel said.

Residents say they are facing similar threats but are speaking out after Kucel was terminated.

Nairobys Toledo is a mother of five, including a recent adoption. That adoption almost led to her eviction, though Toledo kept the BHA informed throughout the process. She was told she didn’t need to do anything about the number of children on her lease until the adoption was finalized.

“In June, I was in a car accident, got diagnosed with diabetes and lost my job and then I got a 30-day eviction notice,” Toledo said. “I was fostering my daughter at the time so it was kind of back and forth whether I was going to be able to do the adoption and they told me it was fine to wait. I called Mr. Mitchell and told him I had done everything right, but Dionne was the only one fighting for me.”

Toledo said the confrontation with Mitchell has led to her being targeted ever since.

“I know I’m targeted now,” she said. “I get dirty looks and every month it’s something I’m doing wrong. I feel like I’m in a jail cell in my house. I have children and am a single mom, so there’s going to be toys laying around, but my house is not dirty and I shouldn’t be forced into taking classes because I have two dirty dishes in my sink. Mr. Mitchell treats us like we are dumb or irrelevant just because we live in public housing.”

Toledo said she is grateful to have low-income housing given her situation, but it shouldn’t mean she’s treated like a sub-human.

“I feel like I’m a strong-minded person and you’re not going to talk to me like you’re my dad,” she said. “I’m grown. Do not speak to me like you’re better. I’ve heard from many, many, many residents that he’s abusive. I’m a Christian woman and I don’t start trouble and try and find the good in everyone, but I’m at the point where I would rather be in a shelter than live like this.”

Toledo, too, said she has sent a letter of complaint to the HUD field office in Miami.

Toledo said it was so bad at times, Kucel would have to whisper when she called her to not be overheard by Mitchell.

“You get treated like crap, but I know I’m targeted anyway,” Toledo said. “I know this. This is bullcrap and I shouldn’t have to feel like this, the way he treats us. He has serious control issues. He looks at you like you are nothing, that we are beneath him. The minute you try to defend yourself is the minute you are targeted. I’m not saying I’m high and almighty, but you’re not above me either.”

Toledo said Mitchell and BHA have consistently violated their policies on several levels, including staff entering her home while she isn’t there but her underage daughter is.

“Grown men aren’t allowed to come into my home with my 17-year-old daughter without me being here,” Toledo said. “After I complained about it, they would make an appointment. I would take the day off from work and they wouldn’t come, but then they’d come the next day when I was gone. It’s not right and that bothers me.”

Resident Kathy Walker said she’s grateful some things in the housing authority have improved since DeSue was fired in 2013, but there are new issues to face daily.

“It feels like we live in a military camp,” Walker said, telling of a time Mitchell fought her on having a service animal. “When I first moved in, everything was fine, but he said, ‘Oh no, I’m here now, it’s my decision.’ I had to preach about the laws to him. He’s very egotistical and a smart ass. He’s one of these people that was raised to think everyday is his birthday. He’s very intelligent and loves to educate himself, but as far as common sense, he’s dumber than a rock.”

Walker, as well, has had issues with the neighbor others have complained about and agreed that Mitchell refuses to listen and document the issues.

Neighbors have been warning new tenants, especially mothers, to keep away. Walker said Kucel was the only one who listened when Mitchell would suddenly change the rules on a whim.

“There’s a process to follow, but you know what? No, it is going to go according to how feels that day,” said Walker, who has lived in the BHA off and on for 11 years.

“We were all very hopeful after the last director was gone,” Walker said. “When Mr. Mitchell came aboard, he fired damn near every one of the girls working there because they made one simple mistake. The girls in that office are walking on eggshells, but so do the residents because he patrols that property day and night. Dionne has come to my house from the office crying because he bullies her to no end. She needs to be the director, quite frankly.”

Employees who did not wish to be identified for fear of their jobs said they would not talk on the record, but if subpoenaed by HUD or other federal authorities, they would speak out.

In a meeting after Kucel’s firing, employees were bought pizza and noted that Mitchell went around the room asking them to document negative things about Kucel to give to the board of directors.

Kucel reiterated she won’t be intimidated.

“Truth is truth and a liar is a liar,” Kucel said. “I will not waver.”