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Highlands Today

Five Candidates In Running For Housing Director Job

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By Jim  Konkoly | Highlands Today

Published: December 14, 2007

SEBRING –– A special five-member interview committee will meet Dec. 20 at the Highlands County Government Annex Building to pick a replacement for former county Housing Director Penny Phillippi.

The five county commissioners, who will act on the committee's recommendation, have the chance to promote from within the housing department to pick its new leader.

Teresa Hofer, now the acting housing director since Phillippi's Dec. 1 departure, is one of the five candidates for the job.

Jim Polatty, the county's development services director, who oversees the housing department, appointed the five-member interview committee. In addition to Polatty, the committee also includes:

Phillippi, who will return here from Immokalee for the interview sessions for her replacement; Nan Macginis, the county's assistant human resources director; Selvin McGahee, executive director of the Florida Non-Profit Housing Corp.; and Bernis Gainer, director of the county's office of management and budget.

Phillippi served as county housing director for seven years. She received a $35,000-per-year salary boost when she left Highlands County to become the first executive director of the brand new Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency.

She made $55,000 per year as Highlands County housing director. Her new $90,000 salary from the Collier County Board of Commissioners includes a $6,000 per year car allowance.

John Minor, director of the county's human resources department, said Phillippi should be replaced as soon as possible, because demand for housing assistance in Highlands County for low- and moderate-income people is growing.

Polatty said the goal he has set for Phillippi's replacement is : "To continue the great program that was created by (former housing director) David Heacock and Teresa Hofer, which Penny (Phillippi) then took to the next level.

"And," he continued, "my hope is that the next director will take it up even further, to the next level."

That next level, Polatty said, would be finding more funding to serve more people, as "affordable" housing has become a major issue in Highlands County.

Polatty praised Heacock for launching the Highlands County housing program.

"One of his great accomplishments was hiring Teresa Hofer, and those two put together a very good program," Polatty said. "Then, Penny Phillippi came here and she took it to the next level."

Hofer was born in Carmine, Ill., a small, rural town in the southern part of the state, and moved with her family to Sebring when she was 5 years old. A graduate of Sebring High School, she and husband Jimmy live in Sebring and have two grown children, ages 30 and 27.

She started with the county housing department in October 1997 as a loan processor and has been promoted several times. Before being named acting director when Phillippi left, she was the department's housing coordination specialist.

Polatty said Hofer has been doing both jobs, acting director and housing coordination specialist, since Dec. 1.

One of the most often used housing assistance programs offered by the county is the State Housing Initiative Partnership, better known as SHIP.

To be eligible for financial assistance through SHIP, the maximum household incomes allowed are: $44,280 for a 2-person household, and $55,320 for a 4-person family.

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