Resident alleges landlord neglect and HUD‑linked program dispute during public comment

At the Common Council’s public comment period on July 2, Francis Brown reported long‑running housing code and nuisance complaints against his landlord and said a service provider removed him from a program he described as housing support.

Brown said his landlord, identified in his remarks as Ivan Cortez, had failed to fix a leaking ceiling and rot described as structural and alleged a nuisance tenant had been placed in his building. He said he reported the conditions to code enforcement and HUD‑connected services and that he believes the Utica Police Department has not enforced relevant laws. Brown also alleged a provider he named HelioHealth removed him from a program for what the provider called a threat after he said he would protest; Brown said no criminal charges were filed and described his removal as denial of due process.

No formal action was taken at the meeting. Council and staff did not announce an immediate enforcement action in response to the speaker’s remarks; members accepted the public comment and thanked the speaker. The statements are the speaker’s allegations; the council did not verify them during the meeting.