The state Department of Housing and Community Development is looking into the Wareham and Carver Housing Authorities, both of which have employed Pam Sequeira, former executive director of the Wareham Housing Authority.

“I can confirm that DHCD conducted a comprehensive review of the Wareham and Carver Housing Authorities, which included administrative, programmatic, and facilities management, fiscal operations, and board oversight," said DHCD spokesman Matthew Sheaff. "Based on the conclusion of the investigation, DHCD will take the appropriate next steps and exercise any and all available options."

The Housing Authority and its executive director oversee the Agawam Village and Redwood Park affordable housing units in Wareham, and are overseen by the Department of Housing and Community Development. The Housing Authority board consists of four elected members and one state-appointed member. Each term is five years.

Sequiera said she was surprised by some of the findings.

"Some of their recommendations were well received. There's a couple of things there that I was unaware of," said Sequeira. "If something fell through the cracks, I'll take responsibility."

Sequeira announced in June that she would retire as of June 30, but agreed to stay on while the Housing Authority found another director.

The DHCD reviewed the Authority Wednesday, July 17, and Sequeira left abruptly on Monday, July 22. She said the review had nothing to do with her decision to leave.

"Why I left [on July 22], I don't want to give out the names of the tenants, they said Mr. Powilatis was going to vote me out," said Sequeira.

Powilatis says he did write a letter to Sequeira and board members Donald Hall and Paul Innis asking them to step down.

"I asked them to step down because they weren't, in my estimation, fulfilling their duties and responsibilities," said Powilatis.

Powilatis believes that in the time between they were asked to step down and did step down, they signed off on a severance check for Sequeira, paying her for sick and vacation he hasn't found evidence of her having accrued.

Sequeira took issue with the letter, saying that it wasn't plausible for Powilatis, who was elected to the Authority in April, to determine in the short time he'd been there that she and the two board members weren't adequately performing their duties.

The Housing Authority had asked Sequeira to advertise the executive director job opening. Powilatis said she didn't advertise it.

"I didn't have a board vote on who was going to do the interview and what the salary would be," Sequiera said, explaining that she felt it didn't make sense to advertise the position without providing that information.

Powilatis says that this explanation simply does not hold water.

"We had said at the [June] meeting that we want to advertise for an executive director. … We said at a salary and hours to be determined," and that's how the position was supposed to be advertised until the board could figure out the hours and salary of the next executive director, Powilatis said.

As for Powilatis' claim that Sequeira has not provided adequate documentation of payroll information, including $16,000 severance in sick and vacation pay, Sequeira said that she hasn't been contacted by him since after the Authority met in June.

"In between that June meeting and the July meeting, she and Mr. Hall and Mr. Innis processed her severance check for accrued sick and vacation time," said Powilatis.

Sequeira said that after the June meeting, she had a bit of a tiff with Powilatis.

"He came into the office after the board meeting in June and was badgering and bullying me," Sequeira says. "I said, 'Give me a list of whatever you want,'" she recalled, explaining that she planned to provide him with the items on the list.

"I shouldn't have to provide a list of what I want," Powilatis said, adding that Sequeira repeatedly failed to provide status reports at the Authority's monthly meetings.

Powilatis denies that he yelled at or bullied Sequeira.

"Not true at all," he said. "After the June meeting I left and she left."

Powilatis maintains that all he's done is ask to be fully informed about what the goings on at the Authority.

"I speak up, I raise questions, and she can characterize it any way she wants," said Powilatis. "When they give me the run around, I keep asking questions."

Sequeira says that she has no plans to return to the Authority in Wareham, although she is willing to answer any questions the Authority may have regarding the whereabouts of documents.

"You don't go someplace where you don't feel welcome," said Sequeira.