35K Petitioners Calling For Mayor To Fire Housing Commissioner

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A sex for repairs scandal rocks Baltimore City public housing. Now calls are growing louder for the mayor to fire the housing commissioner.

Meghan McCorkell with more on the ongoing controversy.

On the front steps of City Hall, Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano--confronted by protesters who are calling for his job.

"What he has done is unacceptable, unethical and immoral," said Kathryn Munnell, protester.

Graziano--at the helm of public housing as a sex for repairs scandal was uncovered.

At least 20 women accuse maintenance men of demanding sex in exchange for life-saving repairs on their homes.

"We're going to make sure that this sort of thing does not happen again," Graziano said last month.

Some say it's too little, too late.

"The city has completely failed some of their citizens, and somebody has to answer for that," said Apostle Richard White.

On Friday, the group UltraViolet delivered a petition, signed by 35,000 people, calling for the mayor to fire Graziano.

Just last month, the Housing Authority announced a settlement with more than a dozen victims in the sex for repairs scandal.

In a statement, Graziano says he was made aware of the allegations in July. He was a unable to learn victims' identities until the lawsuit was filed on September 28.

That suit was settled on December 22.

Graziano says: "We took the strongest disciplinary action possible against the three named perpetrators."

RELATED: National Org. Calls For Firing Of Baltimore Housing Commissioner

From the beginning, the mayor has publicly supported Graziano.

"I think he's widely recognized across the country as one of the leading commissioners of a housing department," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said.

She says she continues to have confidence in him today.

"By standing with Graziano, the mayor is sending the message that she's fine with rape and abuse going unchecked under her administration," said Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet. "In order for women living in Baltimore public housing to feel safe, Graziano must go! We're asking that Mayor Rawlings-Blake do the right thing and fire him."

In a statement to WJZ, the mayor's office says Graziano took the allegations seriously and handled the employee discipline issues.

"We cannot allow Graziano to go unpunished for abuses that not only occurred during his tenure but with his staff's knowledge," said Thomas. "The city might have turned their backs on these women but we will continue to to expose this injustice and ensure the Mayor, and city officials, will not let this happen again."

The Housing Authority has fired the men accused in the scandal and is in the process of hiring 50 new maintenance workers.