Jacksonville housing agency could have new CEO on March 3

The Jacksonville Housing Authority inched closer to hiring a new chief executive Monday after dealing with top-end turnover for more than a year.

Housing Authority board members this week agreed to a financial incentives package and contract terms with George Guy, who currently heads the housing authority in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is president of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.

The board agreed to offer Guy a three-year contract with a base salary of $310,000 per year, plus $25,000 in relocation and initial housing expenses. The offer includes a start date of March 3, if he accepts the terms.

The salary was $10,000 beyond the initial $250,000-$300,000 range the board had been initially willing to offer. It was increased to compensate him for the cost of health care coverage, according to Housing Authority Chair Heather Horovitz.

“When he accepted the role,” Horovitz told colleagues at the special board meeting Monday, “he assumed that we were covering (health care) to match his current organization.”

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Horovitz said the Housing Authority covers health care for employees and senior executives but doesn’t offer full family coverage.

To offer family coverage would be a policy shift, and Horovitz said she was not comfortable making that change. But the board could offer to increase the base salary so Guy could cover health costs himself.

Several board members were surprised that family coverage wasn’t included, so they agreed on the shift, also suggesting that a policy change be considered in the future, based on what other housing agencies offer.

The change could be one of several policy discussions the board has in the new year that include setting clear goals and expectations for their CEO.

Housing Authority turmoil

Expectations were a point of contention with former CEO Dwayne Alexander, who resigned amid controversy at the start of 2024 after an investigation revealed mismanagement of funds.

The agency has brought in two other CEOs after Alexander’s departure. Vanessa Dunn was at the helm for six months, and then Roslyn Mixon-Phillips came out of retirement to help stabilize the agency while it awaits the new CEO.

Tumult at the agency also was exacerbated when the former chief financial officer was arrested and charged with theft, accused of using agency funds for personal expenses.

The agency hopes hiring Guy will put the housing authority on more solid ground and herald a more calm future.

Agency spokesman John Finotti said Mixon-Phillips is expected to stay on for several months to help smooth the transition for the agency’s new leader.

Compared to Fort Wayne, Jacksonville’s affordable housing agency is twice as large, but board members said they have confidence that Guy has a proven track record of increasing housing supply and is fully up to the task.

Horovitz said in the meeting that there will likely be some “legal back and forth” on the language of the contract and it could be next week before the agency can make a solid announcement.

While several board members were a bit disappointed the agency will have to wait until March for Guy to fully jump in, they were pleased to get things going.

“This is exciting,” Horovitz said. “I hope to have great news in the next couple of days.”