On Wednesday, the board of the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville approved a plan to overhaul current management rules, Carolina Public Press reports, though board Chair Brian Weinkler stressed that final approval of the overhaul will be voted on at a later date.
However, CPP reports that there was confusion about the issue, and Housing Authority CEO Gene Bell and COO David Nash say the vote gives Bell the power to approve it without another vote:
“The change, known as Rental Assistance Demonstration, has been a source of controversy for months,” CPP reports. “HACA officials and supporters of the plan have said it will offer a sound financial footing and the ability to better serve residents and maintain Asheville’s aging public housing projects.”
“During public comment, resident Nikita Smart said she worried about a RAD rule that would penalize residents if their 5- to 21-year-old children are not in school,” the article continues. “She noted that under state law and school district rules, anyone older than 16 can drop out of school without parental permission.
“‘Then that child might put my residence in jeopardy if he or she chooses not to go to school,’ Smart said. ‘How can that be?’
“Bell responded that ‘I thought this would have been well-accepted in the community—part of the disconnect with our residents is on education.’
“Smart continued, and said that while she does value education, it’s wrong to penalize a parent for a decision a child can legally make on their own.”
Click here for the full story by David Forbes from Carolina Public Press.
How much do ‘executive salaries’ at HACA INCREASE with this new ‘overhaul’ ?
CEO Gene Bell already makes more than $125,000 plus plenty of taxpayer paid benefits …
(example is one of big government bloat, see?)
Where is progressive Asheville? We need green jobs that pay a living wage and are available to everyone not just well to do student interns that are underpaid by penny pinching non profits and restrictive government programs. Natural science should be all inclusive and welcoming to everyone but instead is marketed as a childish interest or reserved for college students. There should be natural science certifications available to fast track people that are interested in eco stewardship and conservation not a stone wall. The NC government is guilty of gross negligence and corruption for not equating entry level wages with entry level housing and cost of living, they take their illegal bribes from the rich investors and turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to everyone else which creates homelessness, stress related illnesses, addictions, violence, mass incarcerations, premature deaths and unforetold suffering. Which brings us to big pharma who preys on the vulnerable members{veterans and low income} of society with poison prescriptions who have been made sick by an overstressed and toxic environment. Which is why we have drug test to persecute the open minded cannabis culture which in lot of ways represents progressive ideals. Street drugs, scripts, and alcohol are out of a users system in a few days but the most benign of mind altering substances, Cannabis remains for a month or more. Drugs test should be based on probable cause and be efficient enough to determine active thc not dormant levels that discriminate otherwise functional well intended individuals out of a living dooming them unjustly to poverty wage labor, simply because they prefer cannabis to toxic alcohol for recreation in ones PRIVATE life! Too many beer breweries, the majority of people in Asheville and maybe the country as a whole would prefer to have access to legal cannabis and less invasive and unfair drug screening practices by employers and DOT. If Asheville could accomplish this progressive agenda it will improve quality of life for everyone and provide the opportunity to hold the real criminals accountable. I would like a response to know where you stand on these issues.