Little Rock, Arkansas – Members of the Little Rock Housing Authority, also known as the Metropolitan Housing Alliance, are firm in their decision: they will not be resigning from their positions.
This announcement follows a request from Mayor Frank Scott Jr. last week, where he urged all five board members, including board Chairman Lee Lindsey, to step down. The mayor’s call for resignation was not without reason. He pointed out “failures” in their job responsibilities, with a particularly glaring issue being the board’s inability to present correctly audited records. Mayor Scott Jr. made a serious allegation by stating that “hundreds of thousands” of expenses by the organization were “untraceable.”
However, not everyone in the city administration was aligned with the mayor’s immediate call to action. City Attorney Tom Carpenter voiced his concern over the immediate stepping down of board members. He emphasized the importance of continuity by asking the board to “continue progress” in providing accurate records to the city. Carpenter was quoted as saying, “The actual employees from [the Metropolitan Housing Alliance] really do need to stay in place until we can get to a final analysis of all the economic business,” pointing out the board’s intent of doing “what they could to help the people the most.”
During an internal discussion, Chairman Lee Lindsey sought clarity from his peers by inquiring if any member wished to resign. Met with silence, Lindsey emphasized the need to decide on “a course of action.” Standing with the board, Attorney Sylvester Smith expressed his readiness to “mount a defense on behalf of the housing board.” Advocating for patience and fairness, he suggested that the city should “stand pat” for a period ranging from 30 to 90 days. Smith firmly stated that the housing board should be treated with the principle of being “innocent until proven guilty.”
With the imminent expiration of two commissioners’ terms on Sept. 30, the city awaits a significant turn of events. The housing board members are scheduled to present before the city council on the upcoming Tuesday, where further discussions and decisions will undoubtedly take place.
