MANSFIELD — The Mansfield Metropolitan Housing Authority board voted to Friday to reinstate recently terminated executive director Steve Andrews, against the advice of its then-legal counsel.
Board members voted 3-1 to reinstate Andrews, who was terminated by a 3-0 vote on Jan. 24. Chairwoman Kathy Shambre and board members Ron Biddle and Barbara Fulton voted in favor of the reinstatement. Board vice chair Sarah Hairston voted against it.
Attorney Andrew Burton, who was released from his duties as the board’s legal counsel later in the meeting, advised against allowing Fulton to vote.
Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker appointed Fulton on Feb. 8 to replace Debra Chase. But whether Chase is still on the board is a matter of debate among board members and public officials.
Ohio law requires Theaker to appoint one board member who resides in property owned or managed by the MMHA. Theaker reappointed Chase to the board in 2021 believing she met that requirement, but later discovered she does not live in MMHA-owned or managed housing.
Theaker wrote a letter to Chase on Jan. 23, stating he was removing her from the board “effective immediately.” The letter stated she did not meet the legal requirements of the position.
After Chase refused to step down, Theaker filed a lawsuit in the Richland County Common Pleas Court to remove her and his other appointee, Isoleen Dunn, whom he also asked to step down.
Judge Brent Robinson of the Richland County Common Pleas Court barred both Chase and Dunn from voting until the court rules on whether or not Theaker can remove his appointees. A final hearing is set for March 17.
Burton said Fulton should not be allowed to vote until the court rules on Chase’s status as a board member.
City law director John Spon, who is representing Theaker in the case, pushed back from the audience.
“It’s our position that the mayor lawfully removed (Debra Chase). We are certain Deb Chase will be removed,” Spon said. “If it’s improper to allow the newly-appointed board member to participate, then the court can deal with that issue down the road.”
Shambre compared the situation to the 3-0 vote on Jan. 24, when Dunn, Chase and Hairston voted to terminate Andrew’s contract.
“If there’s any controversy to it, we’ll deal with it at that point,” she said. “It’s just as when Deb was voting and possibly could have not been a regular board member. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Biddle said he and other board members wanted to reinstate Andrews Friday because of an approaching deadline for the agency’s 4-percent low-income tax credit application.
“That’s really the urgency of this meeting, getting things put in place so that we can move forward with that,” he said. “If it wasn’t for that deadline, obviously, we could wait.”
The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting is March 28.
According to Andrews, the agency’s application for a 4-percent tax credit is due March 16. The tax credit would provide significant financial relief for a project to build additional low income housing units at the Turtle Creek Apartment Complex on James Avenue.
Andrews said after the meeting that the agency was “on task” to get it in on time.
“I’ve seen the checklist from our development company,” he said. “They only needed a couple other documents, which I’m getting my hands on here between now and Monday.”
After reinstating Andrews, the board voted 3-1 to release Burton as the board’s legal counsel, with Hairston as the sole contesting vote.
“It’s been a pleasure serving the authority all these years and I wish the authority the best of luck getting back on track,” Burton said.
The board voted to engage Dooley Gembala McLaughlin Pecora, LPA as the board’s new legal counsel. The firm is located in Sheffield Village, Ohio.
The board then voted to remove Stephanie Hartzler as acting executive director and Bonnie Virden as acting deputy director and reinstate Kim Turner as deputy director. Hartzler and Virden will resume their previous positions at the authority. All three employees will revert to the salary they were earning on Jan. 23. The board voted 3-1, with Shambre, Fulton and Biddle voting in favor.
Chase and Dunn declined to comment on the board’s actions, except to express disbelief.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life,” Dunn said.
Hairston called the board’s actions “illegal.”
Andrews said it felt good to be back.
“I’m ready to get back to business. We’ve had such a delay here,” he said. “We have a little catch-up to do.”
Barbara Fulton was appointed to the Mansfield Metropolitan Housing Authority board by by Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker on Feb. 8.
Fulton lives in Turtle Creek Apartments, a senior living complex managed by the Mansfield Metropolitan Housing Authority. She retired from Richland County Job and Family Services, where she held various positions throughout the years. She retired as a call center receptionist.
A portion of Turtle Creek’s residents live there using Section 8 housing vouchers from the MMHA.
After her first board meeting on March 3, Fulton praised the authority’s plan to construct additional low-income housing units at Turtle Creek.
“I’m with a lot of the people that need housing,” she said. “I’ve had more than one person say to me, they thank God that they were able to go (to Turtle Creek). It almost brought tears to my eyes.”
Fulton said she wasn’t aware of the opening on the board until she was contacted by Theaker’s office after someone recommended her for the position.
“I didn’t know they were looking for somebody, I would have volunteered,” she said.
Fulton said she’s aware of the issues the board has faced over the past few months, but is excited to serve.
“I don’t think it’s an ideal situation, but I’m glad to be a part of it, to get things back on track,” she said.
“There’s a lot of people that don’t have anything, they’re living in such terrible situations. And I thought, ‘Well, if I can do something about it, I’d be more than glad to. I’m happy to do it.”
