Syracuse Housing Authority Board Chair Ryan Benz resigns

Syracuse Housing Authority Board Chair Ryan Benz resigned from the board exactly two months after former Executive Director Bill Simmons announced his surprise early retirement.

Benz’s resignation comes while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development investigates a complaint Simmons filed earlier this year against Benz. Simmons alleged the developer had an undisclosed conflict of interest related to the redevelopment of public housing on the Southside. SHA counsel Brad Hunt dismissed Simmons’ claims earlier this year and Benz denied having any conflict of interest.

“Serving as Chair of the Syracuse Housing Authority has been an honor and a privilege,” Benz said in a statement to Central Current. “SHA is entering an important period of growth and transformation, and I have tremendous confidence in the organization, its staff and its leadership as that work moves forward.”

Benz was appointed as commissioner by former Mayor Ben Walsh in late 2024. He was elected by the SHA board to serve as chair in November 2025.

Mayor Sharon Owens sent a press release Thursday afternoon announcing Benz’s resignation.

“I am grateful for Ryan Benz’s exemplary service and steadfast leadership during a critical inflection point for the Housing Authority,” Mayor Owens said. “His experience, strategic insight, and innovative approaches were exactly what was needed through a period of significant transition, and his contributions will leave a lasting impact on the work and mission of the Housing Authority.”

Owens appointed Bethaida “Bea” González to serve out Benz’s term on the board.

Simmons had a yearlong conflict with Walsh and Owens and nonprofit officials who accused the former leader of a lack of transparency and missed deadlines. Simmons has denied those accusations.

However, the accusations still mired his final years at SHA. Owens, a vocal Simmons critic, long called for a change in leadership and appointed several allies to the board of commissioners to carry out her mission. Had Simmons not retired, the board would have needed a majority of four votes to oust Simmons.

The housing authority’s board voted to approve a mutual separation agreement with Simmons by a vote of 4-3. Board commissioners Patricia McBride, Quwanka Ellerby and Milton Martinez voted against the mutual separation agreement between Simmons and the board.

Simmons made $182,582 in 2025, making him the third-highest paid public housing authority executive director in Upstate New York. As part of his separation agreement of more than $270,000, Simmons received more than $90,000 for what appeared to be nearly six months of accrued vacation time.

Earlier this year, rumors about the board being poised to remove Simmons were abuzz. Around the same time in February, a couple days ahead of SHA’s scheduled board meeting, Simmons sent a letter to HUD. In the letter, he accused Benz of allegedly having a conflict of interest with federal housing regulators.

HUD recommended Benz’s recusal from board meeting discussions about SHA’s work on the Southside, especially involving the $50 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grant. The city of Syracuse, a co-applicant to the grant, was not notified before Simmons sent the email to HUD.

Simmons’ allegation frustrated Owens.

She sent Simmons an email on Feb. 23, admonishing him for not addressing the issue with her in a February meeting the two held in her office, according to emails obtained by Central Current. She lambasted Simmons for what she called his “mistake” of not only failing to follow the Consolidated Funding Agreement from the HUD grant but also SHA’s own bylaws in the email.

“I hope that you had no knowledge of your perceived conflict of interest concerning Commissioner Benz when we met in my office on Feb. 5, 2026, as that would have been the opportune time to inform me of any perceived conflict of a commissioner appointed by this office,” Owens wrote. “Mr. Simmons, you relayed a perceived conflict of interest (with no evidence) that could directly impact the success of implementing CNI funding, for which the city serves as co-applicant.”

Mayor Sharon Owens’ letter to Bill Simmons Download

On Feb. 25, Owens emailed HUD, highlighting how the city was not made privy to the alleged conflict of interest. The letter was addressed to HUD officials Jacqueline Molinaro-Thompson, Leah K. Gallagher, and Chevell D. McCrary.

Owens told officials that Simmons violated the housing authority’s governing bylaws by failing to address with the board his accusation against Benz before taking it to HUD.

Because the city is a co-applicant to the Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant, a critical pot of funding to the project, Owens argued that city officials should have been notified of the filing ahead of time.

Lisa M. Pugliese, the HUD Field Office Director for Buffalo who has jurisdiction over Syracuse, responded to Owens’ letter ruling out misconduct during the filing process. She said that Simmons “is bound” in his role as the executive to “disclose to our office potential conflicts or other compliance issues.”

HUD does not consider housing authority’s bylaws in such matters, she explained in the letter.

“Mr. Simmons would be delinquent in his duty and fiduciary responsibility if he did not communicate with HUD regarding a potential conflict of interest,” Pugliese concluded.

While the exact content of Simmons’ allegations to HUD still remain shrouded in mystery — Simmons never responded to SHA counsel when asked for clarification — it appears that Simmons accused the chair of partnering with businesses that contract with SHA and are involved with the biggest neighborhood redevelopment project in Syracuse’s history (HUD later found Benz has an “apparent conflict of interest”).

After Benz recused himself from the board meeting in February, McBride insinuated that the board chair pushed for SHA and its developer McCormack Baron Salazar to use Hueber-Breuer Construction to help redevelop public housing. Emails obtained by Central Current through a public records request seemed to undercut McBride’s allegations. The emails showed that Hueber-Breuer, a company that is potentially at the center of the controversy, was hired by SHA’s development partner in April 2024 — nearly 11 months before former Mayor Ben Walsh appointed Benz to the board.

Hunt, who represents both SHA and the board, reviewed conflict of interest forms and financial disclosures for Benz in March. He wrote a legal opinion that Benz does not have a conflict of interest with the redevelopment of public housing on the Southside.

HUD launched an investigation following Simmons’ complaint and ruled in June that Benz has an “apparent” conflict of interest and requested comprehensive details of his business dealings. HUD emailed the letter to Benz, Simmons and SHA attorney Brad Hunt.

HUD ruled that Benz’s personal and professional relationships with Andy and Charlie Breuer, owners of Hueber-Breuer Construction and Braxton Capital, create “an apparent conflict of interest under federal procurement standards.”

“Because of Hueber’s and Braxton’s involvement, Chairman Benz is to recuse from any discussions, resolutions or other activities associated with the East Adams Project / CNI Grant, to avoid the appearance of impropriety,” HUD said in their letter.

HUD officials also called Hunt’s review “incomplete” because his legal opinion only addressed SHA’s developer McCormack Baron Salazar hiring development company Hueber Breuer as a general contractor before Benz was appointed as board chair, HUD wrote.

Officials found that Benz has a conflict on discussions involving the housing choice vouchers given to tenants living at Moyer Carriage Lofts. The Moyer Carriage Lofts were developed in 2020 by Benz’s Redev CNY in partnership with Housing Visions. Housing Visions, which has the majority ownership interest, is now in charge of managing the property.

Tenants at the apartment building receive federal rent subsidies administered by SHA through the Housing Assistance Payment contract, HUD’s review showed. HUD’s Annual Contributions Contract prohibits board members from having a contract like HAP with their housing authority.

Benz would have had to disclose his interests in any entity that receives funding from Syracuse Housing Authority, the letter said.

HUD wrote that Benz could potentially continue in his role and vote on items related to the redevelopment if the field office waives “the conflict-of-interest prohibition for good cause.”

The SHA board will have to elect a new chair in their monthly board meeting scheduled on Sept. 9. Vice Chair Rickey Brown stepped in for Benz during his monthlong recusal.

Benz was elected to be the chair in November 2025 after former Chair Calvin Corriders Sr. announced an early resignation.During his tenure as chair, Benz was focused on stabilizing the housing authority’s finances, increasing affordable home ownership opportunities for residents with Section 8 vouchers and improving the housing authority’s transparency.

“While my time on the Board has come to an end, my commitment to expanding access to quality, affordable and equitable housing has not,” Benz told Central Current. “I look forward to continuing that work throughout Syracuse and Central New York and to supporting the people and partnerships helping move our community forward.”

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.
April 15, 2024: Syracuse-based architecture firm Ashley McGraw recommended Hueber Breuer and two other construction companies — Hamilton Stern Construction and Welliver — to McCormack Baron Salazar as a potential general contractor for two projects: the rehabilitation of Almus Oliver towers and the redevelopment of public housing.
April 26, 2024: McCormack Baron Salazar emailed Simmons and other SHA employees informing them about changing their general contractor. They chose Heuber Breuer.
March 20, 2025: Developer Ryan Benz elected to Syracuse Housing Authority board by former Mayor Ben Walsh.
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.
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. 5, 2026: Owens meets Simmons in her office but Simmons does not bring up Benz’s alleged conflict of interest.
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 an SHA board meeting. Commissioner Patricia McBride accuses Benz of pushing SHA and its developer to hire Hueber Breuer Construction, with whom he previously had professional relationships.
Feb. 23, 2026: Benz issues a statement calling for McBride to step down, castigating her comments for undermining not only his professional career but also the public trust in the housing authority and its stakeholders.
Feb. 23, 2026: Owens sends a strongly worded email to Simmons, lambasting him for failing to notify the city before sending HUD an email “with no evidence.”
Feb. 24, 2026: Central Current obtains emails that appear to undercut McBride’s allegations and show that McCormack Baron Salazar hired Hueber Breuer 11 months before Benz was appointed to the board.
Feb. 25, 2026: Owens sends HUD an email criticizing Simmons for failing to notify the city, stating that he violated his own bylaws.
March 19, 2026: SHA counsel Brad Hunt clears Benz of any conflict of interest, while the contents of Simmons’ HUD email still remains unknown as he refuses to respond to the attorney.
May 25, 2026: Chris Montgomery, a longtime SHA board member and vice chair, steps down.
May 26, 2026: Owens appoints another ally, Monica Williams, to the board. SHA now has the majority required to remove Simmons.
May 28, 2026: SHA board elects Rickey Brown as vice chair.
June 30, 2026: HUD sends Simmons, Benz and SHA counsel a letter ruling that Benz has an “apparent conflict of interest” and says that Benz may apply for a waiver.
July 2, 2026: Simmons announces his surprise retirement and the board votes on a mutual separation agreement.
July 7, 2026: Benz sends additional information to HUD.
July 30, 2026: Details of Simmons’ retirement package become publicly available which shows he had a $90,000 vacation time payout.
Sept. 3, 2026: Benz announces his resignation from the SHA board.

Syracuse Housing Authority Board Chair Ryan Benz resigns

Timeline of events:

Read more of Central Current’s coverage