Resident Commissioner Gets Second Term

A unanimous City Council vote Monday (Aug. 1, 2005) gave Mable O.Thompson a second term as resident commissioner for the Housing Authority of Plainfield.

Before the vote, five people came forward to voice support for Thompson, including Housing Authority Board Chairman Charles Booker. Booker said the board unanimously endorsed Thompson for another term.

After the vote, Thompson thanked the council for the continued opportunity to serve.

“She’s done well. Mable has been a very calming force on the board,” Housing Authority Executive Director Walter McNeil Jr. said in an interview Wednesday (Aug. 3, 2005). “ She is very thoughtful in her decisions.“

The position of resident commissioner is one that was mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development several years ago. In her first term, Thompson succeeded Councilwoman Joanne Hollis, who also lives in a Housing Authority building.

Thompson represents residents in 473 units where rent equals 30 percent of income, 96 more Section 8 rent subsidy recipients at Liberty Village and 603 other Section 8 recipients at rental housing in Plainfield and around the state. The Housing Authority buildings include Richmond Towers, Elmwood Gardens and West End Gardens.

Thompson helps make decisions on the Housing Authority’s $8.5 million budget , McNeil said.

McNeil wasn‘t surprised at the outpouring of support for Thompson.

“People don‘t want her to go away,” he said. “She‘s good at what she does.”