Jun 20, 2003  |  By: LOU CHIBBARO JR.  | COMMENTS     

that HAA staff members sold illegal drugs in the HAA office.

Catania cited Snoddy’s testimony and the testimony of the head of a non-profit housing group who told the committee that Lewis chose not to renew the group’s city contract after the group criticized HAA’s response to housing issues.

“I disagree with you, and I believe there is evidence of retaliation,” Catania told Lewis during the hearing.

trong>Support for Lewis
Other witnesses during the May 15 hearing expressed support for Lewis, saying HAA’s programs have improved significantly since Lewis took over HAA five years ago. Among those crediting Lewis with making improvements at HAA were Ron Simmons, executive director of the local AIDS service group Us Helping Us and Patricia Hawkins, deputy executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Whitman-Walker is the city’s largest, private service provider for people with HIV. Both groups receive city contracts from HAA.

The Council members asking most of the questions were Catania, Sandy Allen (D-Ward 8), the committee’s chair, and Carol Schwartz (R-At-Large).

Catania raised eyebrows by warning Lewis and other HAA officials not to attempt to retaliate against Snoddy for his testimony criticizing HAA.

“Any intimidation of Mr. Snoddy will be viewed as an intimidation of a Council witness,” Catania said at the hearing. “It is punishable by up to two years in prison,” he said, adding, “I will not let the grass grow under my feet to draft the letter and walk it to the U.S. attorney myself. I just want that to be perfectly clear.”

In a written statement announcing Lewis’ promotion, Buford praised Lewis for doing an “exemplary job” at HAA. But Buford, noting that Lewis had been serving the dual role of HAA administrator and senior deputy director of health promotion for the Department of Health, said it was “important that this critical program [HAA] receive permanent, full-time leadership.”

Gay rights and AIDS activists had urged Mayor Williams to name a full-time administrator at HAA for the past two years, as Lewis divided his time between the HAA administrator’s post and his senior deputy director’s job at the Department of Health.

HAA spokesperson Floyd Nelson said Buford named Ivan Ortiz Torres, an openly gay official who has held several posts at HAA since 1994, as HAA’s interim administrator. Torres has said he is not a candidate for the permanent administrator’s position.

Torres told the Blade last week that the office space at 77 P St. is needed because HAA employees are overcrowded in HAA’s current rented office space on two floors of a building at 717 14th St. NW.

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