Housing authority replaces chair with a young lobbyist

Monday, October 27, 2008
By PAUL KOEPP
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A 24-year-old whiz kid has been named to the board of the Jersey City Housing Authority, replacing a chairwoman who was popular with some residents but clashed with the agency's director.

Raj Mukherji, co-founder and partner of the Trenton lobbying firm Impact NJ Government Affairs, was tapped for the spot by Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. The City Council approved his selection Wednesday.

Mukherji, who is also a part-time housing developer and a former linguist in a Marine Corps military intelligence unit, is filling the vacancy left by the controversial departure of Lori Serrano.

Serrano and other board members voted earlier this month to take over personnel and procurement decisions from Jersey City Housing Authority Executive Director Maria Maio.

On Monday, Maio received a letter from the state Department of Community Affairs stating that Serrano was "deemed to have vacated her position" because she had not completed all of the courses required of public housing commissioners.

Some members of the public complained at Wednesday's council meeting that Serrano had been removed on a false pretext. She could not be reached for comment.

In a phone interview, Maio downplayed the reports of a contentious relationship between her and the board.

"It's not a personal issue," Maio said. "I don't get to pick who's going to be a commissioner."

Mukherji, a resident of Ogden Avenue in the Jersey City Heights, said he plans to focus on the future of the Montgomery Gardens site as the Housing Authority moves forward with plans to demolish the 435-apartment complex and replace it with mixed-income low rises.