Housing director joins state advisory board

Kenneth J. Finlayson, the city of Yuma housing director, will serve as an adviser to the governor and state lawmakers on housing issues in his new post as a member of the Arizona Housing Commission.

Gov. Janet Napolitano recently named Finlayson to a seat on the 23-member commission, which also includes the speaker of the state House of Representatives, state Senate president and director of the Arizona Department of Housing. The commission exists to recommend housing strategic planning and policy, review state housing programs, and advise the governor, the Legislature and state agencies on the public and private actions that affect the cost and supply of housing.

"I plan to emphasize to the rest of the state the tremendous possibilities that are available to the improvements in home ownership and affordable housing when you have very high-performing agencies and excellent, trusting partnerships with the local jurisdictions," Finlayson said.

"I want to bring to the state the perspective that efficiency and high-quality outcomes are the underpinning of increased affordable housing and that legislation that encourages and supports this assumption is a critical component in providing higher quality housing for the citizens of Arizona."

Finlayson came to Yuma in March 2000 to assume the position of executive director of the city's housing authority, an agency that oversees public housing for the area's low-income residents. He is also executive director of the Arizona Housing Development Corp.

Prior to coming to Yuma, he had more than 30 years experience in housing and community development, including seven years as regional administrator of the Department Housing and Urban Development for the Mid-Atlantic Region under President Ronald Reagan.