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Tag: alexandria redevelopment and housing authority

  • All 9 Alexandria Housing Authority commissioners resign after CEO scandal – WTOP News

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    All nine members of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Board have resigned following a scandal involving the CEO.

    All nine members of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Board have resigned following a scandal involving the CEO.

    Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins, during a special city council meeting Wednesday, said eight of the members resigned by the deadline set by the city council, which was Tuesday, and the ninth resigned Wednesday.

    “When you have a system failure you need a system reset,” Gaskins said during the meeting.

    Gaskins said the council sent a letter Oct. 6 to all nine board members demanding they resign “due to serious governance failures.”

    A lawyer for eight of the board members, Ugo Colella, told The Washington Post the board members agreed to step down, but denied what he called “inflammatory allegations” from the city council.

    Gaskins said the city council lost confidence in the board because of breakdowns and failures, “and have caused us to determine that a new path and a reset is needed.”

    The resignation of the board members comes after it was discovered this summer that Housing Authority CEO Erik Johnson was living in a highly sought-after public housing unit, as those who qualified for the unit based on their income sat on a waiting list. Johnson was placed on probation in August and later fired.

    Johnson told the Alexandria-based news site ALXnow that he temporarily moved into a public housing unit in the Old Town neighborhood in July while transitioning residences.

    The Alexandria City Council has appointed six new members to the board, and plans to appoint three more soon. Gaskins said the moves are about the future, “a future that we hope is marked by accountability, greater transparency and a renewed approach to oversight.”

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    Kyle Cooper

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  • Alexandria public housing director fired after being on probation for living in one of the agency’s units – WTOP News

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    Chief Executive Officer for the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Erik Johnson was fired Thursday after being on probation for living in one of the agency’s units, according to a statement from the ARHA Board of Commissioners. 

    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 ALXNow that he temporarily moved into a public housing unit in the Old Town neighborhood in July while transitioning residences. The Washington Post also reported the news of Johnson being placed on probation.

    “There is a huge waiting list for these units, for people who qualify by virtue of income,” said Carter Flemming, a former board member. “So for somebody who’s 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’s just not right.”

    In a multipage letter to the board, shared on behalf of the Alexandria City Council, Mayor Alyia Gaskins called for an investigation into Johnson’s actions and ARHA’s 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 “got cleaned up or stopped, if it ever happened,” she said.

    “We were on a better footing, doing large redevelopment projects and building a good reputation, and this just destroyed that, basically,” Flemming said. “Because now, justifiably, the city council and all is asking a lot of questions about how this could have happened.”

    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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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Ana Golden

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