Asheville council approves reduction of Housing Authority board amid public outcry over removals

The Asheville City Council voted to approve a consent-agenda resolution on Feb. 11 that reduces the Asheville Housing Authority board from 11 members to nine and will eliminate one resident-designated seat.

The reduction was included on the consent agenda and passed on a voice vote. Council members were not named during the roll call; the mayor introduced the item and said the change would reverse a recent increase the council had made from seven to 11 members and would require the mayor to appoint replacements as vacancies occur. The mayor said she has interviewed several candidates and that a resident seat created by the change would be filled following the vacancy.

City Attorney (unnamed) told the council the relevant state statute — referenced in the meeting as “state statute 157.5” — obliges the mayor to appoint a person who is served by the housing authority when a member who is served by the authority leaves. The attorney also said the statute contemplates a possible delay between removal and appointment and that another board seat will become vacant in June when a current term expires.

Public comment overwhelmingly focused on the resolution and the mayor’s stated plan to remove specific commissioners. Tillman Jackson, named on the resolution as a commissioner to be removed, said he had not been given a hearing and asked the council for a chance to respond. “If I did something wrong, I think you ought to tell me about it,” Jackson said. Michael Woods told the council he viewed the removals as personal and said the affected commissioners “are committed to this community.” Several other speakers who identified themselves as current or newly appointed Housing Authority commissioners defended the character and service of those named for removal and urged formal process and transparency.

Other public commenters presented contrasting claims. Michael Johnson, who identified himself as a former Housing Authority employee and custodian, said he had filed a complaint months earlier alleging “corruption, abuse of power, and breach of fiduciary duties” and said those allegations supported earlier removal of at least one positioned commissioner. He said that, in his view, the removal of certain commissioners earlier would have been appropriate.

Attorney Susan Ellinger, who said she was retained to represent commissioners noticed for removal, told the council the state removal statute calls for a “meaningful hearing” with the right to present witnesses and basic due process. She said the statute does not envision the mayor acting as “judge, jury, and prosecutor” for removals and recommended a formal hearing to preserve fairness.

Several speakers from neighborhoods with long-standing ties to public housing — including Hillcrest and Burton Street — urged the council to protect resident representation. A number of commenters asked the council to increase, not decrease, resident seats on the Housing Authority board so that people who live in public housing have greater voice in policy and operations.

The mayor said an interim Housing Authority director is in place and that the city clerk’s office has begun the appointment process for the seat that must be filled to comply with the statute. The council took no separate action on an individual removal at the Feb. 11 meeting; the board-size reduction was approved as part of the consent agenda.

What’s next: The mayor and the city clerk’s office will proceed with appointments to fill the required seat triggered by the reduction; one additional board vacancy is expected in June when a current term expires, and that seat will also need appointment to remain in statutory compliance. Commissioners and community members who raised questions about process asked for a formal hearing and greater transparency before any individual removals are finalized.

Council action recorded: The consent agenda, including the resolution to reduce the Asheville Housing Authority from 11 to nine members, was approved by council on Feb. 11 by voice vote; the mayor and city attorney described the appointment obligations the statute triggers and staff said appointment processes are already underway.