Frank Lautenberg: “I rise today to convey to the full Senate my overwhelming support for the confirmation of Harold Lucas to be the…”

“I rise today to convey to the full Senate my overwhelming support for the confirmation of Harold Lucas to be the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) new Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing. Mr. Lucas has first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing our nation's public housing authorities. Prior to his nomination, Mr. Lucas served as Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Newark, New Jersey. When Mr. Lucas took hold of the reins at the Housing Authority in 1992, HUD considered it to be a ``troubled'' agency, and had given it failing grades since its creation in the 1970s. Within two years of taking over, Mr. Lucas turned things around. Last year, the agency received a 94 percent rating--an A in anyone's book--and is now considered one of the top performing housing agencies in both New Jersey and the nation. During his tenure, Mr. Lucas tore down many dilapidated high-rise buildings and replaced them with more attractive townhouse-style housing that provides a better quality of life for tenants and improves the neighborhoods that surround it.”