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Alexandria council adopts emergency ordinance, appoints six to ARHA after mass resignations
Summary
At a special Oct. 15 meeting the Alexandria City Council approved an emergency ordinance to waive certain appointment notice deadlines in time-sensitive circumstances and appointed six members to the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority to restore continuity after eight commissioners resigned Oct. 14 and a ninth resigned Oct. 15.
The Alexandria City Council on Oct. 15, 2025, adopted an emergency ordinance enabling the waiver of public-notice and application deadlines for time-sensitive or emergency appointments and approved six nominees to the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) board to restore operations after multiple resignations.
Mayor Gaskins opened the special meeting at 6:31 p.m., saying the council had “unanimously agreed that there have been several breakdowns in 1 of our most important systems” and called for a “system reset” of the city’s public-housing oversight. He said the actions were intended to restore accountability, transparency and oversight at ARHA.
The ordinance amends section 2‑4‑7(b) and (c) of the City Code to allow the City Council to waive public-notice requirements and the seven‑day application filing rule when “time sensitive or emergency appointments” are required. The ordinance requires the council to state on the record the nature of the circumstances that justify any waiver and to record that statement in the minutes. The council approved the ordinance on first and second reading; Vice Mayor Bagley moved the first-reading approval, Councilwoman Green seconded, and the roll-call votes were recorded in favor. The ordinance took effect immediately on final passage.
Council members described the ordinance as a necessary step to respond to a recent series of governance failures at ARHA. Mayor Gaskins reviewed a timeline that the council said began Aug. 20, when the council learned ARHA’s then‑CEO Eric Johnson was living in an ARHA-managed public housing unit. The mayor said the ARHA board initiated an independent investigation Aug. 27, placed the CEO on probation, and on Sept. 12 the board voted to terminate the CEO. The mayor said the city had requested answers to 21 questions and filed FOIA requests; to date the council reported those questions have not been fully answered and FOIA responses have been only partial.
The council said it sent a letter to ARHA on Oct. 6 requesting resignations of all ARHA board members because of “serious governance failures,” and that the city would issue removal charges pursuant to Section 30‑6‑17 of the Code of Virginia if resignations were not received by Oct. 14. The council reported it received letters from eight commissioners resigning effective Oct. 14, 2025, and the ninth commissioner resigned Oct. 15, 2025.
After adopting the emergency ordinance, the council voted to appoint six people to the nine‑member ARHA board to restore a quorum and continuity. The slate read into the record and approved by roll call consisted of Mark Jinx; (transcription variance: announced earlier as “Arnella Nelson,” later as “Darnella Nelson”); Nate Masic; Teresa Peterson; Justin Jackson; and Kristen Weber. The council said terms were staggered by state code; the appointees were listed with expiration dates as read into the record. The motion to approve the slate was made by Councilman McPike and seconded by Councilwoman Green; the roll-call vote approved the appointments.
Mayor Gaskins read a set of expectations for the new commissioners. Those expectations included: executing a memorandum of understanding with the city; ensuring compliance with local, state and federal laws including the Virginia Freedom of Information Act; retaining legal counsel to advise on FOIA; requiring annual training for board and staff; allowing city input on hiring for the executive director/CEO and other senior management; adopting and enforcing personnel policies; commissioning an annual independent audit and operational assessment with implementation of recommendations; improving customer service, inspections and maintenance programs; sharing information in a timely manner with the city; and holding regular meetings with residents and stakeholders to solicit feedback. The council noted three ARHA seats would remain vacant and be filled later through the standard process with resident input and coordination with HUD.
The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn that was approved by voice vote.
