Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of a story originally published earlier this week.
The Charleston Housing Authority (CHA) is in the process of selecting a firm to review allegations against its new CEO that may have led to his termination from leadership of the housing authority in Norfolk, Va.
Just-installed CHA CEO Nathan Simms Jr. concluded his first week in the Holy City with a May 8 press conference during which board chairman Gregory Voigt introduced him to members of the public and addressed the “chatter” surrounding his past.
A Virginia news outlet reported in a pair of articles published on April 28 and May 6 that Simms directed at least $4.3 million in no-bid contracts toward former associates without the Norfolk board’s knowledge. He was reportedly terminated in November by a 6-3 vote. Sources have questioned the outlet’s reporting.
When asked if Charleston board members knew why Simms was terminated previously, Voigt said the board was satisfied with the answers he provided to questions. When asked what those answers were, he could not provide exact answers, but said that the board would launch a third-party investigation.
“We were satisfied that it was not personal to Nathan Simms,” Voigt said. “That was the conclusion we reached based on what we believed in the internal mechanisms of at least what happened.”
Simms said he “welcomes the board’s review” into the allegations. Voigt added the board was confident in the steps it had already taken prior to hiring Simms.
“We believe in the process that has gotten us to where we are, and we believe in the man that the process led us to,” Voigt said. “The process involved going beyond headlines, going beyond resumes and inquiring. And we believed that we had made that inquiry sufficient, that we could make our decision.”
Voigt confirmed the Charleston Housing Authority knew Simms had been terminated before hiring him but added that he was not concerned with any criminal actions.
New leadership, direction
Meanwhile, Simms said he is ready to earn the people’s trust through his actions, knowing there are some reservations with how he got here.
“Whether that’s changing policies, changing procedures, changing the way that we go about our previous business, we have to look at it differently because we have to increase resident satisfaction,” Simms said.
Voigt was one of two board members who voted against Simms to be selection for CEO, saying he initially preferred another candidate who was solid, too. Voigt explained he wanted to hire someone willing to tear down and replace the 85-year-old houses that have been troubling the Housing Authority in recent years, rather than refurbish what’s there.
“What I was looking for was somebody who could take a sledgehammer to all of that, break through all of that. And we were presented with what I think were two candidates who could do that. And for me personally, I only speak for myself. I had a 1A and a 1B. So you still get my number one,” Voigt said.
Charleston news outlets over the last year have reported several housing units with poor living conditions on multiple occasions, including mold, roach infestations, collapsed ceilings and issues with running water.
Simms said he is committed to being a boots-on-the-ground CEO. He said that the public can expect to see him often as the authority examines these issues closely.
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