Syracuse Housing Authority Executive Director Bill Simmons accused Board Chair Ryan Benz of having conflict of interest with federal housing regulators, leading to Benz’s early exit from Thursday’s board meeting as recommended by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD issued a memorandum Wednesday night asking Benz to recuse himself from the meeting after Simmons emailed them two days before the board meeting accusing the chair of partnering with businesses that contract with SHA and are involved with the biggest neighborhood redevelopment project in Syracuse’s history.
A board member alluded to the allegations made by Simmons stemming from Benz’s alleged involvement with Hueber Breuer Construction, the company involved in brownfield remediation for a phase of the public housing redevelopment in the Southside. Benz, a developer, has previously partnered with representatives from that company for a different business venture independent from SHA.
Simmons’s email comes at a time when Mayor Sharon Owens continues to call for a change in leadership atop SHA. 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.”
When Central Current pressed Simmons on the timing of the email, he referred to the review being completed in November. On further inquiry, he left the board meeting.
“Not doing any statements today,” Simmons told a Central Current reporter.
Benz’s abrupt exit from the meeting led to a tense exchange between SHA commissioners Patricia McBride and Rickey Brown. McBride lambasted Benz for allegedly not consulting the board before sending Simmons “reports,” which McBride did not elaborate on, prompting Brown to jump to the board chair’s defense.
McBride did not elaborate on the nature of such reports, but according to Brown they presumably deal with personnel matters that can only be discussed during executive session. During the contentious exchange, an SHA lawyer and Vice Chair Christopher Montgomery tried to rein in the tensions by trying to adjourn the meeting. However, the board did not explain to the public what prompted such a heated discussion.
“Her reaction, in particular, to being able to go into an executive session to discuss that matter, to me again, was… unbecoming,” Brown told Central Current. “I think that it’s a disservice to us as board members again to make those sorts of accusations unfounded.”
Benz: SHA ‘materially mischaracterized the relevant facts’
In his email to HUD, Simmons alleged that Benz’s conflict of interest as a developer lies in partnering with businesses that contract with SHA and are specifically involved with the East Adams project and the Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant.
In his statement, Benz reflected on his annual conflict of interest statement which was filed last November, in which he denied having any ownership or connection to entities that carry out transactions with SHA.
“…Based on the information they received, which I believe was incomplete and may have materially mischaracterized the relevant facts,” Benz said, reading a statement to the board. “HUD has instructed that I recuse myself from discussions and votes related to CNI and the East Adams project.”
The crux of Simmons’ allegations stem from Benz’s job as a developer in charge of transforming the former Shoppingtown Mall site into a housing and entertainment complex. In August 2022, alongside other developers including Heuber Breuer Construction, Benz created OHB Redev LLC to turn the defunct mall around.
It is unclear if Simmons referred to Heuber Breuer directly in his complaint to HUD, but McBride alluded to that being the case during Thursday’s meeting.
“I wondered if one of the reasons why Ryan was pushing so hard for [Heuber Breuer was] so they can profit, but that’s just my open thought,” McBride said.
However, the OHB Redev LLC was shut down last October, a month before Benz was elected SHA board chair, Benz said. Benz said 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.
Amid an ongoing investigation, HUD determined that Benz should recuse himself from board discussions and votes regarding SHA, the CNI grant and the East Adams neighborhood project. HUD, in response, determined that Benz should recuse himself from board discussions and votes regarding SHA, the CNI grant and the East Adams neighborhood project.
HUD representatives did not immediately respond to requests from Central Current for comment. Board member Patricia McBride also did not respond to requests for comment.
That grant was the subject of a recent Central Current investigation that detailed how, under Simmons’ leadership, the housing authority missed at least 15 deadlines on CNI funds crucial to the East Adams redevelopment project.
Benz started the public meeting Thursday by reading the HUD memorandum that the board received on Wednesday night.
While HUD did not mandate against Benz voting on issues not outlined in HUD’s response, Benz left the meeting directly after refuting Simmons’ claims.
Timeline of events:
- August 2022: Benz participated in OHB Redev LLC, a single purpose entity to redevelop the former Shoppingtown Mall into a housing and entertainment complex
- August 2022: Six individuals who are part of the project via five separate entities were involved in the project. 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 Heuber-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 sitdown 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 a 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.
‘Take it outside’
As soon as Benz exited the room during the Thursday board meeting, McBride’s accusations led to a public altercation with Brown.
She accused Benz of pushing for fellow OHB Redev LLC partners Hueber Breuer to help them profit but did not expand on her comments.
The second phase of the East Adams transformation project involves a vacant lot — previously used as a makeshift parking lot — at the intersection of South State and Burt streets which will be converted into a new apartment building with 125 new affordable units for seniors.
The area was previously identified as a brownfield due to several environmental contaminants like petroleum-impacted soil and high levels of lead. Hueber-Breuer Construction took over the $7 million remediation efforts as the general contractor which was funded partly by $3.5 million from HUD’s CNI grant.
After the public meeting concluded, Brown wanted to go into executive session to discuss a “sensitive legal matter.” However, the motion failed in a 4-2 vote. McBride, Vice Chair Christopher Montgomery, and fellow commissioners Milton Martinez and Quwanka Ellerby, who are both SHA residents voted against the executive session.
Since Benz was absent they required four votes for the motion to pass.
After she voted against the executive session being conducted, McBride was quick to attack Benz’s position on the board.
“One of the things that I would say with my no vote is that … Ryan [Benz] have lied to and misrepresented the board several different times,” she said.
Brown interrupted her, saying that she could not accuse the board chair in his absence when he cannot defend himself.
“You cannot interrupt me,” McBride told Brown, alleging that Benz “misrepresented the board twice” without providing instances.
“It is highly imprudent to make that comment in such a salacious nature in front of the public view without that commissioner having the opportunity to defend his integrity,” Brown told McBride. “It undermines the integrity of not only this Commissioner. It undermines the integrity of the board.”
Brown told board members that the purpose of the executive session was to disseminate sensitive legal information to the commissioners from counsel. Brown later told Central Current that he wanted to address correspondence from an attorney related to a personnel matter in the executive session which did not require board members to enter into a vote.
“The reason why I’ve asked to have this vote be on a public forum is that I would like it to be a public record in terms of our position as board members, to make sure that we are considering the best path forward for this organization,” Brown said during the meeting.
However, McBride interrupted him to claim that Simmons was given a “report” without the board members being told.
“There has been no transparency upon, you know, documents that’s being talked about, reports given to Bill,” McBride claimed. “The board has been excluded from whatever or whoever created these documents.”
McBride did not elaborate on the nature of such reports. Brown said during the meeting that the report could not be shared with Simmons since it dealt with personnel matters which could only be discussed in executive session.
Vice Chair Christopher Montgomery made a motion to adjourn the meeting as tensions continued to rise between the board members.
“You and I can take it outside,” McBride told Brown.
“You’re being disrespectful,” Brown said.
Read more of Central Current’s coverage
SHA Executive Director Bill Simmons accuses board chair of conflict of interest; board chair denies allegations
Simmons sent an email to HUD alleging Board Chair Ryan Benz had a conflict of interest with an SHA contractor, leading to a spat between board members.
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