The Jacksonville Housing Authority is moving toward hiring a new CEO.
Published on January 14, 2025 at 3:10 pm
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The Jacksonville Housing Authority held a special meeting Tuesday to formally offer its second candidate of choice the CEO position after its top pick withdrew his candidacy.
Cheron Corbett Waller formally accepted the position and was offered a base pay of $290,000 plus $10,000 for medical coverage for a total of $300,000.
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According to the resume and cover letter she submitted when applying for the job, she’s with the DuPage and Kendall County housing authorities in Illinois.
Corbett Waller’s offer came after the Housing Authority’s top choice, George Guy, unexpectedly withdrew his candidacy for the position Friday.
Contract negotiations had been underway for the last few weeks for Guy, who is the current head of the housing authority in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The negotiations with Guy came to a halt after he countered with demands several board members said were “shocking.”
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One board member called Guy’s contract demands “pretty out of line” and said he did not show good faith.
Guy had been offered a base salary of $310,000, but he also wanted to provide consulting services on evenings, weekends or vacation time, would not commit to relocating to Jacksonville within six months and asked for a credit card for $25,000 to be used solely for his relocation expenses.
He also demanded a $300,000 buyout if he were to be fired in the first year of his agreement and a $200,000 buyout if he was fired at a later time.
What stood out the most to some was that “disgraceful conduct” and “insubordination” would not be grounds for getting fired, according to his demands.
Board members agreed they could not meet Guy’s demands and needed to protect the agency.
The board said it would look to extend the contract of Interim President/CEO Roslyn Mixon-Phillips, who took over the agency after a series of resignations from the top spot.
Vanessa Dunn was named acting CEO in February of last year after former CEO Dwayne Alexander resigned in January, claiming he was being “pushed out.” But Dunn resigned in August before her contract ran out.
The hope is for Corbett Waller to be in Jacksonville by mid-March.
This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
