PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The man who replaced embattled Philadelphia Housing Authority chief Carl Greene last year on a temporary basis will now stay on permanently.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg last fall agreed to loan to Philadelphia his housing chief, Michael Kelly, so Kelly could reform the PHA in the wake of the Carl Greene controversies.

Now, Estelle Richman, the sole board member of the PHA, has asked Kelly to stay on permanently, and he has agreed.

Kelly addressed housing residents at the announcement:

“In the last seven, eight months, we’ve actually radically improved our performance, proving that we have the opportunity to get better,” he said. “We are indeed embarking on a great crusade. We’re going to build on our successes. We’re going to learn from our mistakes. We will get better. We will be better. Every day we will be better.”

Meanwhile, Richman announced she has received a promotion at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and will have to step down from her interim role on the PHA board.  She expects a replacement to be named by HUD later this month.

Reported by Mike Dunn, KYW Newsradio 1060