One solution to fix the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is to break it apart — at least that's what the federal government's local housing official told NY1.

"Why is it not divided up into different boroughs? Like NYCHA Queens, NYCHA Bronx, NYCHA Brooklyn, each with their own general manager and maybe even chairperson?" Lynne Patton told me. "These are things we are going to look at as we come together and talk about this settlement agreement."

Patton, the regional administrator for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), sat down exclusively with NY1 on Friday to discuss the intense negotiations going on between her department and the Bill de Blasio administration.

City Hall has until January 31 to come up with a plan to fix NYCHA, or the feds could find the agency in what's called "substantial default." That could be the first step toward a federal takeover of public housing in the city.

Ben Carson, the federal housing secretary, came to the city this week to discuss how to proceed with de Blasio.

"This was a very productive meeting with Secretary Carson," the mayor said Tuesday.

Patton: If the plan does not have targeted remediation milestones and robust oversight, then yes, the secretary made it very clear he would declare them in substantial default, at which time the secretary could break NYCHA up in five different boroughs.

Gross: Do you think that's a real possibility?

Patton: I know he's talked about it.

"And look, that means more salaries, more money, but I also think that if you ask the residents, they would have much rather seen the funding from the government go to more staff on the ground than overtime parties at Throggs Neck," Patton said.

Patton has suddenly been thrust into the center of one of the biggest and most controversial debates in the city: how to fix public housing.

When she was first appointed to this post, she was widely ridiculed for being unqualified. The tabloid covers are now framed on her office wall.

"Framing it reminded me and gave me the motivation to walk out of this door every day and prove them wrong," she said.

Next to them is a model of comedian Jerry Seinfeld's apartment, and plenty of pictures of the president. Patton had worked for the Trump Organization.

It may seem strange she now spends her time defending residents of the struggling housing authority on Twitter, and weighing in on who should lead the agency going forward.

PATTON DOESN'T REJECT THE IDEA OF RUNNING NYCHA HERSELF

"Stanley Brezenoff and I have a monthly breakfast, but he's made it very clear he does not want this position," Patton said. "I've asked a lot of City Council folks who they think would make a good NYCHA chairperson. We told them in the meeting that they should start coming up with names and start thinking about that as well."

Gross: Do you want to run NYCHA?

Patton: A couple people have asked me that, and I think that I have had enough headlines. But I will definitely be playing a substantial role in who that person is, and if I don't think they are good enough, then that's always on the table.

In a statement, a spokesperson for City Hall told NY1 they had total confidence in the chair and general manager of NYCHA, who are moving full steam ahead with their plans to improve the housing agency.