NEW YORK - The embattled chairwoman of the New York City Housing Authority this week sent an open letter to public housing residents.
It comes on her fourth anniversary of heading the agency.
NYCHA has come under fire after Shola Olatoye testified that housing authority employees received training in lead testing, when most of them didn't.
Pressure has been growing for her to resign or be fired, but Mayor Bill de Blasio has refused to do so.
In the letter, Olatoye acknowledges the last few months have been tough and that lead inspections never should have been stopped in 2012.
She also says the heat and hot water outages this winter were unacceptable.
But she also says that in her four years, NYCHA has balanced its budget, started making vital repairs and reduced crime.
She added, "NYCHA has significant challenges, but we have an obligation to preserve housing for you and the next generation of residents. I will not let the media circus get in the way of that incredible responsibility, which I take very seriously."