To My Friends in the Property Management World,
Perhaps you also stumbled upon this notice of the passing of Joe Calise. While it brought a tear to my eye, it also brought a smile to my face remembering his character, his wisdom, his leadership. When I was first involved in the industry Joe was the point person for our HUD region and he, along with a couple of other housing agency directors, worked very closely together with MREMA’s leadership during a rapidly changing time in the housing industry. When Joe first started teaching me the ropes, ‘59s were still done manually (at 25% of income vs 30%) in 4-part carbons, “reac” inspections were not yet born and there was more than a little distrust between managers and agency representatives. Joe and I were among a handful of people who resolved to create collaborative and productive relationships within the industry. The core of it all was education and roundtable discussions. Joe was unique, in that he brought a willingness to look at the reality of any given situation, and collaborate to arrive at effective out-of-the-box solutions, even when it disagreed with HUD protocol or expectations. Respect and camaraderie was born between MREMA, Joe and other housing agency directors that was unprecedented. Something to be very proud of !
Most of all I remember Joe is a good man. At one point in time my company had grown to a point where there were new levels of leadership and autonomy …and the inevitable risk associated for that. Someone had observed and reported inappropriate activity to Joe that could have permanently tarnished my company. My respect for him grew immeasurably when he brought the situation to me individually and gave me the opportunity to remedy it before going the more regulatory route. A lesser person would not have done so.
During those years of such massive growth and change within the housing industry, Joe served us all well.
Rest in Peace Joe. Your legacy lives on.
Kathleen Roberts-Dobson