Fulton County Housing Authority chair, vice chair ousted; all members to be replaced

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County commissioners voted to remove the two remaining board members of the Fulton County Housing Authority on Monday.  

The 5-2 vote comes as the agency is under intense scrutiny stemming from failures to meet federal requirements and threats of losing its funding.  

Housing Authority Chair Antavius Weems and his vice chair, Dr. Lamar White, made their cases for why they should be allowed to stay in their positions for the remainder of their terms. However, county leaders did not agree following claims of harassment and financial mismanagement. 

"The housing authority has been in disarray," Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett said. 

Earlier this month, several board members resigned following allegations of misconduct and misappropriation of funds. Currently, there is an internal investigation into these accusations. 

The offenses caught the attention of HUD. Earlier this month, the federal agency sent two letters alerting the housing authority that paperwork for housing vouchers had either been submitted late or not at all, putting recipients in danger of eviction. HUD gave county leaders a deadline: they must hand over requested documents and have a third party take over, or they risk losing nearly $7.8 million in federal funding. 

"People weren’t getting vouchers on time, and they were afraid of getting evicted from their homes," said Barrett. 

The issues did not stop there. Last year, a board member was removed following allegations of sexual harassment and complaints he was so disruptive during meetings, they couldn’t conduct business. 

Weems, who also faced accusations of intimidation and harassment, denied any wrongdoing but accused Chairman Robb Pitts of getting in the way of their efforts to make changes in compliance with HUD. 

"Board members literally wrote to us…begging us for help, asking the board of commissioners to help…we refused to take any action," said Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. 

Arrington said he felt the removal vote was uncalled-for. 

"We heard today that they’re in the last 75 days that they’ve corrected a lot of the things that were the problem," said Arrington. 

"I don’t think they met their burden or provided adequate notice," he added. 

Both Weems and Lamar White asked to continue on the board until September 30. Instead, commissioners voted to remove them effective immediately.   

Despite differing opinions, county leaders appointed four new housing authority board members, including Felicia Moore, who formerly served as the president of the Atlanta City Council. 

Weems says he felt vindicated in sharing their side with commissioners, but they did file a petition challenging the vote claiming they never received proper notice about the hearing. Weems is challenging his removal in court. 

Despite the ongoing investigation, board officials assure the public that the housing authority will continue its operations. 

A fifth nomination is likely to come on August 7.