The head of an Alexandria, Virginia, public housing agency was fired after being on probation for living in one of the agency’s units.
Chief Executive Officer for the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Erik Johnson was fired Thursday, according to a statement from the ARHA Board of Commissioners.
Johnson was placed on probation last month after the housing authority learned he was living in one of its units. He was told to immediately leave the unit, a previous statement said.
Johnson told local news site聽聽that he temporarily moved into a public housing unit in the Old Town neighborhood in July while transitioning residences. The聽聽also reported the news of Johnson being placed on probation.
鈥淭here is a huge waiting list for these units, for people who qualify by virtue of income,鈥� said Carter Flemming, a former board member. 鈥淪o for somebody who鈥檚 the CEO of ARHA to take one of those units offline, that could have been given to somebody who really deserves and needs the housing, it鈥檚 just not right.鈥�
In a multipage letter to the board, shared on behalf of the Alexandria City Council, Mayor Alyia Gaskins called for an investigation into Johnson鈥檚 actions and ARHA鈥檚 finances.
Flemming said in the early 2000s, there were allegations of housing staff moving friends up the line for affordable housing units. But, actions such as those 鈥済ot cleaned up or stopped, if it ever happened,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e were on a better footing, doing large redevelopment projects and building a good reputation, and this just destroyed that, basically,鈥� Flemming said. 鈥淏ecause now, justifiably, the city council and all is asking a lot of questions about how this could have happened.鈥�
The housing authority’s board, in its newest statement, said an independent investigation into Johnson’s actions remains ongoing and will help determine the board’s next steps.
In the meantime, Rickie Maddox will be serving as the acting CEO. She served as interim CEO prior to Johnson being chosen last year.
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