Alexandria City Council appointed six new commissioners to the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority board during a special meeting on Wednesday night, one day after eight of nine board members resigned under pressure from city leaders.
The emergency appointments aim to restore the functioning of ARHA’s governing board, which oversees more than 1,100 public housing units and serves over 2,700 residents through various programs.
All seven City Council members were present for the meeting, and both the emergency ordinance and all six appointments were approved unanimously.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins called the special meeting to address what she described as a “system failure” requiring a “system reset” following months of governance breakdowns at the housing authority.
“When you have a system failure, you need a system reset,” Gaskins said during the meeting. “Over the course of the past several months, as a council, we unanimously agreed that there have been several breakdowns in one of our most important systems.”
The council first passed an emergency ordinance amending city code sections to waive public notice and application deadlines for emergency appointments. The ordinance allows the council to bypass the standard 21-day public advertisement period and the 7-day application filing requirement in time-sensitive situations.
The emergency ordinance adds language to the city code stating that “public notice requirements may be waived by the City Council in the event of a need to address time sensitive or emergency appointments.” The ordinance requires that the nature of circumstances requiring a waiver must be stated on the record and recorded in meeting minutes.
Following the ordinance’s approval, the council appointed Mark Jinks and Darnella Nelson to terms expiring Oct. 15, 2029; Nate Macek and Theresa Peterson to terms expiring Oct. 15, 2028; and Justin Jackson and Kristen Weber to terms expiring Oct. 15, 2027.
The appointments follow a staggered structure required by state code to ensure board continuity. Three additional positions remain unfilled, with the council planning to use the standard appointment process for future selections.
“We want to make sure that the community can also be a part of the process moving forward and that folks who want to engage and apply have the opportunity to do so,” Gaskins said.
In an email to ALXnow, Gaskins said the council was “intentional and thoughtful” in selecting the six appointees.
“The Council was intentional and thoughtful in our deliberations. We attempted to identify residents with a record of community involvement, expertise in key areas such as housing, finance, employment and organizational management, and who could bring a fresh start and new perspective to the organization.We also spoke to a number of ARHA residents. We did not want to fill all of the slots because we know that there are more community members interested in positions then we could connect with in 24 hours. Furthermore, we feel strongly that ARHA tenants should be part of helping pick future board members, including their tenant representatives”.
The crisis began in August when ALXnow first reported that then-ARHA CEO Erik Johnson was living in an ARHA-managed public housing unit. The ARHA board published a statement acknowledging the situation and demanding he vacate the property.
On Aug. 26, the city council requested an independent investigation and demanded answers to 21 specific questions about the CEO issue and ARHA governance, while also submitting Freedom of Information Act requests.
“To date, none of the 21 questions have been answered and the city has only received partial responses to the FOIA request,” Gaskins said during Wednesday’s meeting.
The ARHA board terminated Johnson on Sept. 12 following their investigation. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, it is a conflict of interest for a public housing agency director to live on property they manage.
On Oct. 6, the city council sent a letter demanding the resignations of all board members due to “serious governance failures,” threatening removal proceedings under Section 36-17 of the Code of Virginia if the resignations weren’t received by Oct. 14.
Eight commissioners resigned on Oct. 14 through their attorney. Gaskins said during Wednesday’s meeting that the ninth member had resigned earlier that day, Oct. 15.
The mayor emphasized that the evening’s work focused on looking forward rather than dwelling on past issues.
“Tonight’s conversation is about a reset and about looking forward towards the future,” Gaskins said. “A future that we hope is marked by accountability, greater transparency and a renewed approach to oversight.”
Before the new commissioners begin their duties, Gaskins read a detailed statement of council expectations. The statement outlined requirements that the new board ensure compliance with local, state, and federal laws; adopt annual board and staff training requirements; allow city input in hiring decisions for executive leadership; and establish independent third-party audits of ARHA finances and operations.
The council also expects the new board to establish regular meetings with ARHA residents and ensure commissioners attend city-ARHA redevelopment meetings.
The council plans to work with residents and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine the appropriate process for appointing additional resident council members to the remaining three positions.
“We feel strongly that while there’s a requirement for one resident seat, that we believe that is the minimum and potentially more residents should be on this board,” Gaskins said.
ARHA manages public housing properties throughout Alexandria and administers the Housing Choice Voucher program. More than 19,000 people remain on waiting lists for housing assistance through the authority’s programs.
Rickie Maddox continues to serve as acting CEO after taking over when Johnson was placed on probation in late August.
The council’s action ensures continuity of operations at the housing authority while establishing new leadership expected to address longstanding concerns about governance, transparency, and resident services.
“We appreciate everyone who has come here tonight,” Gaskins said. “As we stated from the beginning, we hope that this is a new reset and a path forward that will result in greater trust in ARHA accountability, transparency, and oversight.”
This story will be updated.
