The difficulties an executive director encounters in managing an authority can be illustrated by an extreme, but actual, example.
The general manager (executive director) of the New York City Housing Authority, when asked about the role of the executive director, said:
“To be truthful with you—and it shows you the role—I just spent four hours in a meeting with a very tough group of tenants who were holding our staff against their will and I just negotiated a peaceful settlement.
“And I’m now going into a union meeting and the union’s threatening to walk out. The moon must be down. I would like to talk to you about it very much, but I can’t talk about it right now. Forgive me.”