MILFORD — The board that oversees Milford’s public housing has placed its longtime executive director, Anthony Vasiliou, on paid administrative leave while an investigation is carried out, according to the board’s meeting minutes and reports by the New Haven Register on Oct. 7 and CT Examiner on Oct. 8, which first reported the leave.
The Board of Commissioners of the Milford Redevelopment & Housing Partnership (MRHP), which serves as the city’s housing authority, voted 4-1 at a special meeting on the evening of Sept. 23 to place Vasiliou on leave “effective immediately, pending an investigation,” according to the minutes of that meeting posted on the City of Milford’s website. Chairman H. Richard Borer Jr. made the motion and Commissioner Coreen Edwards seconded it. Commissioners Charles Montalbano and Jake Joseph also voted yes. Commissioner Samuel S. Bergami III voted no.
The resolution adopted by the board states that commissioners had “received information regarding potential violations of MRHP policies, HUD regulations, and State law” by Vasiliou. Neither the resolution nor the minutes describe what those potential violations are. No finding of wrongdoing has been announced.
Borer has declined to describe the subject of the investigation. He told the Register the board could not get into specifics because of the possibility of future litigation, and he told CT Examiner that the board had met in closed session after receiving a complaint and had hired attorney David Ryan of New Haven to handle the investigation.
What the board ordered
The resolution requires Vasiliou to stop all work for the agency, turn in agency property such as keys, computers and phones, and stay out of MRHP systems and offices and away from agency business with staff, vendors or commissioners until further notice.
Before voting, the board met in closed session from 7:18 to 7:45 p.m., as state law allows for personnel matters. The minutes say Vasiliou’s attorney, Courtney George, chose a closed session when asked. Vasiliou, George, and the board’s special counsel, Ryan, attended.
The same personnel item had appeared on agendas for Sept. 18 and Sept. 22 special meetings. The Sept. 22 meeting was cancelled, and no Sept. 18 minutes were posted as of Oct. 9.
Who is running the authority
The same resolution named Marie A. Webster, the authority’s chief financial officer, as temporary acting executive director, with the full powers of the job for as long as the leave and investigation continue. Before the vote, Bergami raised concerns about whether Webster was qualified for the temporary role, the minutes say.
The board has called another special meeting for noon on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 75 DeMaio Drive. The agenda lists a closed-door discussion and possible vote on appointing Nile Scala as interim executive director and on an employment agreement with him. January minutes describe Scala representing the MRHP before the Board of Aldermen on grant funding.
State involvement
State Comptroller Sean Scanlon told the New Haven Register that his office is also involved. His office runs the Connecticut Municipal Employees’ Retirement System. Scanlon told the Register his office opened an investigation after a tip, working with the city, and that it is ongoing.
A spokesperson for the comptroller told the Register that state records show Vasiliou retired effective June 30, 2025, and is receiving a monthly municipal pension. The spokesperson also pointed to the state law that sets limits on when retirees in that system may go back to work for a participating employer while still collecting a pension. Neither the comptroller’s office nor the housing board has publicly said what the investigation is about.
Leadership change already underway
The leave comes as the board was already working to replace Vasiliou. In January, commissioners hired a consultant to run a national search for a new executive director “as Mr. Vasiliou transitions to assuming new responsibilities in the organization,” according to the minutes of the Jan. 13 meeting. In August, the board changed its purchasing policy so it could hire outside lawyers to advise on the executive director’s retirement and the hiring of a successor. A Sept. 3 agenda proposed a contract with Ryan’s New Haven firm, Ryan and Ryan, for the leadership transition.
Background
Vasiliou has led the agency since 1997, according to the Register and CT Examiner.
The MRHP, created by the Board of Aldermen in 1948, owns and operates both federal and state public housing, according to its website. A job posting for the executive director’s position on the authority’s website describes a portfolio of 268 units for older adults and people with disabilities and 62 family units. The agency also manages 267 Housing Choice (Section 8) vouchers and 49 project-based vouchers. The posting says the agency has a five-member board and eight employees. Its properties include Catherine McKeen Village, DeMaio Gardens, Foran Towers and Island View Park.
The same posting says HUD currently rates the MRHP as a “troubled” housing authority, a designation the posting attributes to a financial report that was filed late in 2025. Nothing in the public record ties that designation to the current investigation.
The mayor appoints the commissioners and approves the agency’s annual plan, but the housing authority otherwise operates separately from city government, the Register reported.
Comment
Vasiliou and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment from the New Haven Register and CT Examiner. Borer declined to comment further to the Register, citing the possibility of future litigation. According to the Register, Ryan declined to comment on what he called a personnel matter, and Mayor Richard Smith did not return calls.
This story will be updated.
Street-level image: Google Street View.
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