Syracuse Housing Authority Chair Ryan Benz has asked City Clerk Patricia McBride to step down from her position as a board commissioner.  Benz made the request of McBride because of a vague accusation made by McBride about Benz during SHA’s Thursday board meeting.  SHA Executive Director Bill Simmons filed an accusation with federal housing regulators about Benz having a conflict of interest with the redevelopment of public housing on the Southside.  While Benz denied those allegations on Thursday, he recused himself from the board meeting following a recommendation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  After Benz left, McBride accused Benz of having an improper relationship with Hueber Breuer Construction, a firm performing a brownfield remediation critical to the redevelopment of public housing.  “I wondered if one of the reasons why Ryan was pushing so hard for [Hueber Breuer was] so they can profit,” McBride said, “but that’s just my open thought.”  Benz issued a formal statement on Monday, castigating McBride’s comments, accusing her of undermining not only his professional career but also the public trust in the housing authority and the stakeholders in the East Adams project, including the Missouri-based development company, McCormack Baron Salazar.  “Public insinuations of corruption or secrecy, without evidence and outside established process, undermine the very partnerships and public confidence required to deliver housing stability and redevelopment for our residents,” Benz wrote on Monday.  This contentious exchange is the latest in the ongoing saga at the housing authority. Simmons has over the last several years fought through several controversies related to the redevelopment of public housing. Several organizations, including Blueprint 15 and the Allyn Family Foundation, have at times accused SHA of missing deadlines. A story by Central Current found SHA, under Simmons’ leadership, to have missed 15 deadlines laid out in a federal grant application.  Simmons’ allegations against Benz came as Mayor Sharon Owens has called for Simmons’ removal.  While Owens has called for Simmons ouster, the board members appointed at the end of former Mayor Ben Walsh’s term and during Owens’ term — Benz, former Commissioner Stephanie Pasquale, Commissioner Douglas Reicher and Commissioner Rickey Brown — have been unsuccessful in carrying out Owens’ public request.  Two days before Thursday’s board meeting, Simmons emailed HUD, accusing Benz of partnering with businesses that have interests with SHA. HUD issued a memorandum Wednesday night asking Benz to recuse himself from the meeting and from voting in decisions related to the Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant, a critical pot of federal funding to the redevelopment project.  Benz has maintained that he has no conflict of interest and has declared the same in his conflict of interest filings. He said SHA counsel has cleared his filings.  Sources familiar with the matter said that neither SHA counsel nor Benz received prior information about Simmons’ email to HUD.  “The Executive Director’s communication with HUD included information that was incomplete and did not accurately reflect the relevant facts,” Benz told Central Current. “Two separate counsels advising SHA matters have confirmed there was no wrongdoing and that my disclosures were accurate. I welcome the opportunity to clarify any remaining questions with HUD so that we can return our full attention to the important work before us.” HUD representatives did not comment on the ongoing investigation, saying that they could not confirm or deny if federal officials were looking into Simmons’ accusations.  During the Thursday meeting, McBride also lambasted Benz for sending “reports” to Simmons without clarifying the nature of such documents. Fellow Commissioner Rickey Brown jumped to Benz’s defense. Brown criticized McBride for making the allegations in Benz’s absence, when he was unable to defend himself.  In his statement on Monday, Benz outlined the reasons why he had asked McBride to vacate her seat on the board, also implied he could pursue a defamation lawsuit against McBride.  “Serious allegations about integrity or misconduct must be addressed through proper channels and supported by facts, not delivered as inflammatory claims in a public forum where reputational harm is immediate and lasting,” Benz said.  McBride’s term as board commissioner expires in October 2029.  McBride refused to respond to a Central Current reporter’s questions outside the Council chambers in City Hall on Monday.  The accusation against Benz is related to the business he did with OHB Redev LLC. Benz was part of the company, alongside Andy and Charlie Breuer, developers with Hueber Breuer Construction. OHB Redev was created in August 2022 to redevelop Shoppingtown Mall into a housing and entertainment complex.  Ultimately, the company was dissolved in October 2025, and they did not complete the project. The dissolution of the company happened a month before Benz was elected board chair. There was no overlap between OHB Redev LLC’s project and Hueber Breuer’s work on the redevelopment of public housing, Benz said while addressing the board.  Timeline of events:  August 2022: Benz became part of OHB Redev LLC, a single purpose entity to redevelop the former Shoppingtown Mall into a housing and entertainment complex. Six people, through five separate development companies, were involved in the proposed redevelopment of Shoppingtown Mall. One of the entities was owned by Andy and Charlie Breuer, two of the three owners of Hueber-Breuer Construction. Through 2023 and 2024: Following title litigation and eminent domain proceedings handled by the Onondaga County IDA, the project remains dormant through these years. March 2025: Ryan Benz was appointed as a board member amid ongoing scrutiny over Simmons’ leadership at SHA.  October 2025: The Onondaga County IDA approved an agreement that led to the project being stopped due to lack of site control.  Nov. 4, 2025: Mayor Sharon Owens won the mayoral election, and further emphasized the need for Simmons’ removal in a gaggle with reporters.  Nov. 20, 2025: Following former Board Chair Calvin Corriders Sr.’s resignation, Benz was elected as chair.  Nov. 20, 2025: Benz filed his annual conflict of interest statement where he denied having any ownership or connection to entities that carry out transactions with SHA. This disclosure was recorded after OHB Redev LLC had become defunct, Benz emphasized. SHA counsel and counsel at Fox Rothschild both agreed that there is no business relationship between the two entities, he added.  Benz added that McCormack Baron Salazar, the Missouri-based development company tasked with public housing redevelopment on the Southside, retained Hueber-Breuer for the Almus Olver Tower project in September 2024. He declared that he has “no financial interest, direct or indirect, in those entities or anyone affiliated with them.” January 2026: During a sit-down interview, Owens reiterated to Central Current that Simmons needs to be removed.  Jan. 27, 2026: Owens appointed another ally and affordable housing expert Douglas Reicher to the board.  Feb. 17, 2026: Simmons sent an email to HUD alleging Benz’s conflict of interest despite not addressing such concerns in the past.  Feb. 18, 2026: HUD sent a memorandum asking Benz to recuse himself from discussions pertaining to the East Adams project and the CNI grant.  Feb. 19, 2026: Benz defended himself against Simmons’ allegations before leaving the board meeting.  The post SHA Chair Ryan Benz asks city clerk to step down from board over allegation appeared first on Central Current. ...read more read less