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Read about the election here

GENE COLLINS

Hello,

I am Gene Collins; I have been working with tenants to address tenant issues for the last eight years. I have a degree in Business Administration and 20+ years of experience as a manager and team member. I am a past city planning board member and served as a member of the city Board of Health prior. I have served on many boards before and hope to be an effective team member.

I would like to be a director to help the union grow membership, work with tenants from across the state to improve quality of life and be effective change agents.

KATHLEEN HUNT

I moved to Little Brook Village over 17 years ago. For residents of senior housing, life was simpler back then and there was little need for organizing and meeting about management, priorities for repair, or resident requests for some general services we would like to have. In 2010, we formed a Tenants Association, but had to re-form in 2014, recertified in 2019 and we recently recertified with our Board of Commissioners and Executive Management in 2024.

Our second attempt to form a tenant association involved a lot of paperwork, some resistance from our Board of Commissioners, and final acceptance from our residents. This was a way to make sure Little Brook tenants had a unified voice that could be heard. No one wanted to step up to ensure that residents had input on any changes in our community, any say on maintenance priorities or even the treatment of residents in a respectful manner. Kathleen Hunt assumed responsibility for re-forming a tenant association, submitting all the necessary paperwork and convincing the Housing Authority Commissioners that creation of the association could be a win-win situation. It is because of her that I became an Officer of the Tenant Association and am serving in my second term as the Treasurer.

Kathleen has been instrumental in changing the culture and environment here at Little Brook Village, which has gone from contentious and condescending to one of respect and concern. Our Tenant Association is very active and as a small public housing complex, it is important for us to work together for change. Kathleen’s leadership has provided us comfort, her knowledge of state public housing regulations and her rapport with our Board of Commissioners reaffirm to me that she will provide the same leadership and follow through on behalf of Mass Union. I would like to nominate her to be on the Mass Union Board of Directors and believe her contributions will enable you to provide the same level of assistance and direction to your constituents as we receive at Little Brook.

On behalf of the residents of Little Brook Village and the Officers of the LBV Tenant Association, we would love to see her continue on the Mass Union Board of Directors and appreciate your acceptance of this letter.

Most Respectfully,
Jeannette Harding
Treasurer, LBV Tenant Association

FLORINA KEITHER LENNARDS

I am writing to express my interest in running for the position of director of Massunion.org and I humbly ask for your support.

A little about my background:

• • • I moved into Caffrey Towers in 2015.
    • I am the current president of Caffrey towers tenants’ association.
    • I started volunteering at the Brigham and Women’s hospital from 2004 to 2020.
    • I have also served as a Hospice volunteer at the South Shore hospital.
    • I am originally from Barbados.

While in Barbados I have had the good fortune of serving as head of various organizations including Special Olympics soroptimist international of Great Britain and Ireland as well as Junior Chamber International also known as (J.C.I.) among others.

At present I attend a program at Codman Square library every second Wednesday of the month through the office of mayor of Boston memory café. Professionally, I am a British trained paper conservator. I have worked in the Public Library system in Barbados for 30 years. With regards to relevance, I have been attending the meetings of the residents Advisory Board, the board meeting of the Brockton Housing Authority (BHA) along with Massachusetts Union of Public Housing tenants since October 2021.

If given the opportunity to serve as your director, and with consideration of my vast experience I have gained through my several endeavors professionally and voluntarily, I believe I am in position to offer a valuable contribution to the organization. With your help together we can make our lives and our community more meaningful.

Yours Sincerely,
Florina K. Lennards

ROSA MARCHESE

My name is Rosa Marchese,

I was born in Corato Bari, Italy, where I lived with my family until the age of six. We moved to Venezuela, South America. I married and had three sons.

In 1983 we moved to the United States and a few years later we opened our Italian Bakery and my three children became US citizens.

In 2008 my husband passed away and I had to close our bakery and go to work for other people.

In 2019 I moved into Belchertown Housing and became a United States citizen. I was also elected Secretary of our newly formed LTO.

I am an empath that speaks English, Italian and Spanish. I have had three years of working with residents in public housing and trying to educate our Board of Commissioners and Executive Director about our LTO.

I feel my skills would be an asset to the Mass Union Board.

BRET PERKINS

We would like to nominate Bret Perkins to the Board of Directors of Mass Union. Bret has been on the Board for the past 2 years. He is the Chairman of the Membership Committee.

He has been on the Board of Tobin Tower. He has served as Vice President for 3 years and now he is the President of Tobin Towers, and has been for 4 years. We feel he will do a great job on the Board!

Sincerely,

Tobin Towers Tenant Association
Patricia Cavallaro – Vice President
Stanley Kavanaugh – Treasurer
Eleanor Philbrick – Secretary

JO ELLA “JADA” TARBUTTON-SPRINGFIELD

I am Jo Ella “Jada” Tarbutton-Springfield, Resident Board Commissioner for the Northampton Housing Authority and an organizer with the Walter Salvo Local Tenants Organization (WSLTO). I am running for the MUPHT Board to strengthen resident power and ensure accountable, ethical governance across Massachusetts.

At Walter Salvo House, I have helped rebuild and energize tenant leadership by launching resident-led groups such as “Sew What, Salvo” and “Clean Up, Salvo,” and by enjoying making inclusive flyers and other outreach materials that bring residents together. Beyond housing, I currently serve as President of the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association, am a Board Member of the Northampton Survival Center where I serve on the Governance, Program, and Client Advocacy Committees, and am actively involved in the Northampton Neighbors Inclusion Committee. I was also selected as a Hub Helper for an organic farm-fresh produce distribution program, and participate in environmental justice through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) 2.0 program. In April 2025, I was honored to be chosen as a Community Organizer participant and presenter at the American Water Resources Association conference in Anchorage, Alaska.

My priorities for MUPHT include:

1. 1. 1. Resident Voice & Transparency – protecting public comment, due process, and open meetings.
      2. Capacity Building – expanding trainings, toolkits, and mentorship for LTOs statewide.
      3. Health & Safety – advancing fair, compassionate policies on maintenance, cleanliness, and smoke-free housing.
      4. Accountability – ensuring consistent adherence to state policies and ethical standards.

I bring proven community organizing experience, collaborative leadership, and a record of service. I would be honored to represent residents on the MUPHT Board.

— Jo Ella “Jada” Tarbutton-Springfield

KARLA WERT

I am writing to express my interest in joining the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants.

I currently serve as the President of the Board of Directors for the Charlestown Resident Alliance (CRA), where I have been an active and committed member since 2017. In this role, I have worked to ensure that resident voices are heard and respected throughout the ongoing redevelopment of the Bunker Hill public housing community. I also serve on the Boston Housing Authority’s Resident Advisory Board (RAB), where I contribute to policy discussions and advocate for the needs and rights of public housing residents across the city.

My experience has taught me the importance of strong, resident-led advocacy at both the local and state levels. I am passionate about ensuring that residents are not only informed but empowered to shape the decisions that affect their homes and communities. I believe that serving on the Mass Union Board would allow me to expand this work, collaborate with other resident leaders across the Commonwealth, and help strengthen the collective voice of public housing tenants statewide.

Thank you for considering my application. I would be honored to contribute my experience, leadership, and dedication to the mission of Mass. Union

Sincerely,
Karla Wert

See the full Act here

SECTION 35.  Section 34 of said chapter 121B, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the tenants of a state-aided or federally-aided public housing project transferred or conveyed pursuant to the fourteenth paragraph shall maintain all rights pursuant to federal, state and local subsidy programs originally applicable to the project, including tenant contribution, lease terms, eviction, right to return, grievance, resident participation, preference in hiring and privacy rights, except as may be required to secure financing necessary for the feasibility of the project or to meet associated programmatic eligibility requirements after notice to affected tenants with an opportunity to comment. The redevelopment of such public housing project shall not be the basis for: (i) termination of assistance or eviction of any tenant; (ii) reduction of assistance or eviction of any tenant; or (iii) re-screening any existing tenant; provided, that no existing tenant shall be considered a new admission for any purpose, including, but not limited to, compliance with any income targeting requirements. Any such project shall have at least the same number of low rent housing units as the number of low rent housing units in the existing project. The requirements of this paragraph shall be implemented through contracts, use agreements, regulations or other means, as determined by the department. Any contracts, use agreements, regulations or other means shall be in compliance with all applicable local, state and federal subsidy programs and shall delineate: (i) the roles of the housing authority and other agencies in monitoring and enforcing compliance, including tracking temporary and permanent displacement; (ii) how the housing authority shall rehouse tenants so there shall be no displacement from affordable housing programs operated by the housing authority; and (iii) how tenants shall be provided with technical assistance to facilitate meaningful input related to the redevelopment of the proposed project. The benefits of any contracts, use agreements, regulations or other means shall inure to any tenant who occupied a unit within the project at the time of the transfer or conveyance of the project. Protections relating to tenant contribution, lease terms, eviction, grievance, resident participation, preference in hiring and privacy rights, except as may be required to secure financing necessary for the feasibility of the project or to meet associated programmatic eligibility requirements, shall inure to both present or future tenants or applicants of the project, who shall have the right to enforce the same as third-party beneficiaries. Nothing in this section shall create a separate or new administrative process of appeal or review for any grievance governed by the lease of any tenant. Tenants shall have an opportunity for comment on a project proposed under the fourteenth paragraph and an opportunity for public comment to be organized by the owners, controlled entities, designated private entities or public housing authorities responsible for such projects with adequate notice.

Earlier this summer, MassLegalHelp.org posted an updated booklet on Rent in Public Housing. The booklet is available in the following languages:

• • • English

    • Spanish

    • Portuguese

This booklet includes important updates and is intended for both state and federal public housing tenants, including those facing redevelopment. A special note for federal tenants: Legislation passed by Congress in 2016 called the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA) made major changes to how rents are set in federal public housing and Section 8. However, HUD has not yet implemented all of the HOTMA rules. This means that certain pre-HOTMA rent rules are still in effect. To keep this straight, the booklet has legal citations in the endnotes to both pre-HOTMA rules (now in effect) and HOTMA final rules (will go into effect when HOTMA is implemented). When HOTMA changes become effective, Legal Services will update this booklet.

Mass Union is deeply grateful to Annette Duke from Mass Law Reform who spearheaded this update, along with Ryan Kenney, Susan Hegel, Mac McCreight and Salomon Campos-Rice from the Greater Boston Legal Services and Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services.

To learn more about rent updates, join us at Mass Union’s Convention where we will have a workshop on this topic with Annette, Susan, and Mac. Read all about the Convention here.

Use Your Tenant Organization Funds

With your community, be sure to budget a portion of your tenant participation funds for the convention and Public Housing Day. Remember to also budget for transportation, such as an Uber or mileage reimbursement. You can send board members or other tenants – it’s your call. Just be sure to use a fair and transparent process for deciding which tenants will attend.

Ask Your Housing Authority to Sponsor

Over thirty Housing Authorities have directly paid to send tenants to our events. Ask yours to join this growing list! They will be recognized in our materials and on signage at the event. Read about sponsorship tiers here. The higher the sponsorship, the greater the recognition. Give your LHA the chance to earn this great publicity and be seen in front of our community and important policy-makers!

Look for Community Sponsors

Any organization can sponsor the convention, not just Housing Authorities. You can ask a local bank or shop for a sponsorship or sell them an ad for the program book. Any funds you raise will cover your registration costs, and the sponsor will get all the publicity benefits.

In keeping with our bylaws, Mass Union is holding a director election at our 2025 Convention. The election will be held on Sunday, October 5 as part of our Annual Meeting. The Meeting will run from 10am-12pm.

In odd-numbered years we hold director elections and in even-numbered years, we hold officer elections. The officers are the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Assistant Treasurer. All other members of the board are considered “directors.” This election will be for them. Here is the quote from our bylaws:

“At the Annual Meeting held in odd-numbered years, the affiliates shall elect between four (4) and eight (8) directors, depending upon the number of qualifying nominations received. If fewer than eight (8) qualifying nominations are received, the President shall present a smaller slate, provided that the number of nominees shall be at least four (4).”

Members of our affiliates may run for the director seats. You do not need to be an LTO board member to run. Any tenant in an LTO that is a member of Mass Union may run. Please see additional information about eligibility on page 5 of our bylaws.

Nominations are due on September 15, 2025.  The Election is being overseen by an impartial Election Committee made up of people who are not running for a seat.

How to Run

You may nominate yourself or another eligible member of one of our affiliates. If you nominate someone else, we will confirm that they would like to run before circulating their nomination. Submit the nominee’s name, contact information, and the name of her/his/their affiliate (LTO) to info@massunion.org by 5pm on September 15, 2025. Please also send a photo and brief statement (not to exceed one half page) about the candidate.

Fall 2025 Convention Election Rules and Procedure

As adopted by the Election Committee, July 22, 2025

BYLAWS

ARTICLE V: ANNUAL MEETING OF THE MASS UNION

Section 6: Voting and Participation: Each affiliate shall be entitled to one (1) vote. A majority vote of the affiliates that constitutes a quorum[1] as defined in these By-Laws shall be the required vote unless otherwise specifically stated herein.

A simple majority of votes cast shall be necessary to conduct all regular business of the Mass Union, to adopt the By-Laws and to elect members of the Board.

ARTICLE VI: THE BOARD

Section 6: Elections: Paragraph 2: At the Annual Meeting held in odd-numbered years, the affiliates shall elect between four (4) and eight (8) directors, depending upon the number of qualifying nominations received. If fewer than eight (8) qualifying nominations are received, the President shall present a smaller slate, provided that the number of nominees shall be at least four (4). The candidates receiving the highest number of votes, up to the number of directors to be elected as determined by the Board, shall be elected. If there are eight (8) or more nominees, and there is a tie between the eighth and ninth-placed candidates, there shall be a run-off between those two candidates. At the Annual Meeting held in even-numbered years, affiliates shall elect five (5) officers from current Board members in accordance with Article VII, Section 1. Any additional election procedures shall be adopted by the Board before the Nomination period begins. Once the affiliates are notified of the Nomination period, no changes may be made to the procedures.

ADDITIONAL RULES

In addition to the rules listed above in our bylaws, the Committee has created the following two rules for this election. Please note that because we sent nominations to the affiliates in advance of the Convention, we will not be able to take nominations from the floor of the Convention.

1. 1. You must be present at the Convention to run.

If extenuating circumstances arise and a candidate can no longer attend, the candidate can alert a board or staff member at Mass Union. Their circumstances will be explained to the affiliates for a vote, and the affiliates will decide whether to allow the candidate to run.

2. 2. Candidates may distribute materials at the Convention, with three caveats:

1. No negative statements are allowed about the other candidates.
2. No promotion of business interests.
3. Endorsements from present or former Mass Union staff are not allowed.

ELECTION PROCEDURE

1. 1. Review of Election Procedure

The President or his designee will name and thank the Election Committee members and review the procedure below.

2. Director Election

A. CANDIDATE SPEECHES

The candidates will each be invited to sit at the front of the room, and each will be invited to make a two-minute speech.

B. VOTING

This year Mass Union received seven nominees for the eight available seats on our board. Please see information about the nominees here.

Because the number of seats exceeds the number of nominees, affiliates will vote for the entire slate at once. Further details will be announced at the election on October 5.

Thank you to the nominees!

—

[1] A quorum is one-third of the affiliates.

Presenting Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

Transportation Sponsors

Gold Sponsor

Silver SponsorsHonorable Mentions

Bridgewater Housing Authority
Chelmsford Housing Authority
Malden Housing Authority
Northampton Housing Authority
Needham Housing Authority
Salem Housing Authority
Springfield Housing Authority
Watertown Housing Authority