(Source: hotspringsdaily.com)

Dear Editor,

Friday’s Sentinel Record had an article describing the felony sentencing of the past Hot Springs Housing director Barbara Baer. Baer was sentenced to two years’ probation for embezzlement and fined puny a $500.

What is missing from this article is a description of the complicity and irresponsibility of the majority of the Housing Authority board in allowing this mess to occur. In addition, to embezzling some $5,500, she was a virtual dictator, who had over 60 staff fired, which represented in a 100% annual staff turnover.
When HUD raided the Housing Authority offices to collect evidence, then Chairman, Al Carney spent considerable effort describing how HUD was wrong about Baer and whitewashed her actions. He and the other Board members even refused to terminate Baer until considerable pressure was received from HUD’s regional office in Ft Worth. This bunch of blather continued even after HUD issued its report indicating considerable mismanagement by Baer and major inattention by the board. Carney continued to defend his ineptness and unreasonable support for Baer by claiming he had no guidance nor any idea of the problems.
The problem with this series of statements is they are false! During the March 2013 board meeting, fellow board member Russ Thomas and I asked the other three members to launch an investigation into Barbara Baer’s performance based on a number of interviews with ex-employees, plus suspicions from the information we were not receiving on Housing Authority performance and results. This resulted in counter accusations by Carney that we had a vendetta against Baer. This position was supported by then Hot Springs School District Superintendent Joyce Craft...