Susan Stamps, a Precinct 3 Town Meeting member, submitted this letter.
There is a lot of noise in the Arlington Housing Authority (AHA) board election.
I think that generally AHA board members, including the new ones, feel that the board is going in the right direction, taking seriously the recommendations by the League of Women Voters. But let’s not guess about that. Let’s hear about it.
To the incumbent, Nick Mitropoulos, chair of the AHA board, I respectfully ask you to educate us: It would be helpful to receive a detailed written response to each of the LWV recommendations — as to each recommendation, explain specifically what the board has done, what it is in the process of doing and what it plans to do.
As to the challenger, Kelda Fontenot, I respectfully also ask you to educate us: It would be helpful to receive information fleshing out your general statements about work on tenants rights and housing issues, including specific things you have done, such as jobs you have had, paid or unpaid, and what they involved, job titles, employers, nonprofits, volunteer groups, for whom you have worked, committees or boards you have served on or other relevant experience.
The Arlington Housing Authority has a critical role in making Arlington a welcoming place for people in challenging economic situations.
I was pleased last year when Jo Anen Preston was elected to the five-member board because she brought a diversity of ideas, education (B.S. in psychology, Ph.D. in sociology), job experience (instructor in social gerontology, director of research on aging, social worker, grant writer) and volunteer work (advocating for low-income tenants as chair of a tenant’s organization, volunteering with Meals on Wheels). She has already begun specific initiatives to improve the quality of life of AHA residents.
Let us focus on the needs of the AHA board and the people it serves.
This letter to the editor was published Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
