Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse Housing Authority agreed to pay its former Executive Director Bill Simmons nearly $100,000 plus one year’s salary in exchange for his early retirement, according to the separation agreement that finalized his departure early this month.
In a 4-3 vote on July 2, the authority’s board agreed to pay Simmons a lump-sum severance payment of $274,146. Simmons’ last day was July 10, nearly a year before his contract was set to expire at the end of July 2027.
Instead of working that last year, Simmons agreed to retire early after a year of turmoil over the direction and pace of the East Adams redevelopment project. In exchange, the board paid out a year’s worth of his salary, which was about $184,000…