HUD chief quits, cites family reasons

HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson Monday announced he will resign April 18, citing his intent to focus on private and family matters without mentioning criminal investigations into whether he showed favoritism in awarding HUD contracts.

"There comes a time when one must attend more diligently to personal and family matters. Now is such a time for me," Jackson said.

The FBI has been examining the connections between Jackson and a friend who was paid nearly $400,000 by HUD for serving as a construction manager in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

"I have known Alphonso Jackson for many years, and I have known him to be a strong leader and a good man," said President Bush, who has been friends with Jackson since the 1980s. "I have accepted his resignation with regret."

Jackson's troubles prompted Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Senate Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., this month to call for his resignation.

"This was the right decision," Dodd said Monday. "I think it was the right move. We need to have people whose focus and attention" is going to be on the housing crisis. "President Bush must now nominate a Housing secretary with the experience and credibility to attack this crisis rather than hide from it," Murray said in a statement. "I hope this resignation is more than a move to simply save face. I hope this signals an end to the neglect of needy tenants and struggling homeowners and the beginning of an administration policy that responds meaningfully to the needs of both."

House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., agreed. "It is essential the president immediately name an acting secretary who will have the full authority to work with us in making the decisions we need to deal with the housing finance crisis," he said. "During the Bush administration, and particularly the last year, HUD has fallen far short of playing the constructive role that is required."