By james art Winston-Salem public housing residents are pushing for better representation on the housing authority’s board of commissioners.
About two dozen residents and advocates gathered outside Crystal Towers on Oct. 21 to make their voices heard. They want to see someone currently living in public housing appointed to the board.
Crystal Towers Standing Council President Mike Douglas said he felt none of the commissioners could express to others what he and his fellow community members were going through.
“We are being overlooked by the people who are put in places to represent,” he said. “This won’t last.”
Douglas listed the lack of security and better lighting in the parking lot as issues that need to be addressed.
The housing authority of the Winston-Salem Board of Commissioners is appointed by Mayor Alan Jones, who did not respond to a request for comment.
Executive Director Kevin Chesher said that in his 11 years with HAWS, there has never been a public housing resident on the board, but at least one member has always been a Section 8 voucher recipient during that time.
“I certainly don’t see this as a circumstance where residents and local representatives don’t have a direct line of communication with me or city leadership,” he said. “I feel strongly that we were very responsive, that we were very communicative.”
Cheshire said there are currently two vacancies on the board.
In 2025, he plans to have a quarterly agenda item where public housing presidents can directly voice their concerns in a meeting.