The board of Little Rock's public housing authority is again seeking to have Kenyon Lowe Sr. appointed to another five-year term on its board after the city Board of Directors rejected an earlier reappointment attempt.
At a Nov. 17 board meeting of the housing authority, known as the Metropolitan Housing Alliance, housing commissioners adopted a resolution recommending that Lowe be reappointed.
All five commissioners, including Lowe, supported the measure, according to a copy of the resolution.
The resolution was received by the Little Rock city clerk's office on Nov. 22.
City board members on Oct. 25, in a voice vote after a closed discussion, rejected an earlier attempt by the authority's board to reappoint Lowe. No board members could be heard voting yes.
City Director Virgil Miller Jr. of Ward 1 recused himself from the decision. At the time, Miller was facing Lowe as well as Herbert Broadway in the Nov. 8 contest for the Ward 1 seat. (Miller was ultimately elected to a full four-year term; city board members had appointed him to the Ward 1 seat last year.)
As a self-appointing board, Metropolitan Housing Alliance commissioners get to reappoint their colleagues or make appointments to fill vacancies among their ranks. However, those decisions must get the approval of the city board.
Lowe, who is retired, joined the housing authority's board in 2012.
His latest term on the housing authority's board expired Sept. 30, but meeting minutes show he participated in the Nov. 17 meeting with no change to his role nor his status as chairman of the board.
Lowe on Wednesday said it was the opinion of the Metropolitan Housing Alliance's board that some upcoming projects would be set back if he is not reappointed, referring to the potential loss of expertise.
"I'm not a mind reader," Lowe said when asked if he expected the city board to do something different next time. "All I can do is lay out the facts."
He suggested he was uninterested in reaching out to city board members ahead of their deliberations.
"My record speaks for itself, I have no need to," Lowe said. He indicated that he has not fielded questions from city board members since their decision in October.
Lowe attributed the fact that he is still serving on the housing authority's board to state law.
Under Arkansas Code 14-169-208, when the governing body of a city rejects a housing authority's appointment of a person to the authority board, the authority must appoint "another person" to fill the vacancy within 30 days of receiving written notice of the rejection.
Commissioners whose term has expired continue to hold the position until a successor has been appointed and confirmed.
Recent problems at the housing authority include a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Departmental Enforcement Center that detailed roughly $270,000 in expenses that were described as unallowable or questionable.
Additionally, in August 2021, the housing authority's board voted to fire then-Executive Director Nadine Jarmon, who had accused board members of a series of misdeeds and asked that they be dismissed.