MIDDLEBORO — The Middleboro Housing Authority’s temporary Executive Director Josephine Ruthwicz is currently working without an employment contract, she told the housing authority board at a Dec. 27 meeting.

Ruthwicz also had some harsh words to say about her predecessor, Maria “Angie” Medeiros, who Ruthwicz accused of not submitting certain documents on time.

Ruthwicz was brought on as temporary executive director following the departure of Medeiros, who was terminated in December following a tumultuous saga that lasted for over a month. Ruthwicz previously served as the housing authority's executive director before retiring in 2022. 

According to Ruthwicz, she has been working as the temporary executive director “for about a month now” without a formal employment contract.

Middleboro Housing Authority Board member Joseph Mandile said that a lawyer needed to clarify whether Ruthwicz would be a “contract worker or an employee of the Housing Authority,” and that the lawyer would be on vacation until January.

Ruthwicz told the board that a lack of a contract was not the only problem she faced.

“Every single day I am getting emails from the state or the feds due to non-compliance issues,” she said.

According to Ruthwicz, several documents and “formal reports” related to the housing authority were not submitted to the relevant authorities on time. This has resulted in a “corrective action plan” from the federal Housing and Urban Development Agency, she said.

“The contract for financial assistance… needed to be signed in November. It was not,” Ruthwicz said.

Ruthwicz said that before her retirement, she prepared a list of tasks that needed to be completed. “She [Medeiros] obviously didn’t look at it,” Ruthwicz said.

Ruthwicz also criticized Medeiros for not purchasing furniture for a community building despite spending money in other areas.

“I do have a bit of a problem with the prior director spending over $2,400 to renovate her office but couldn’t spend $2,400 for a sofa and a couple of chairs at the community building,” Ruthwicz said.

Middleboro Housing Authority Board Member Nancy Thomas said that Ruthwicz’ remarks about Medeiros during the board meeting “seem disparaging.”

“You should have been made aware of these things and I am making you aware of them now,” Ruthwicz said. “It will take probably two, three, four years to correct all this. This is not going to be done overnight.”