After a roller-coaster year, the Fulton Housing Authority has a new executive director who should be a familiar face for many Fulton residents.
Valerie Sebacher, Ward 1 Fulton City Council member and former office fiscal manager at the FHA, was announced as the pick for the position in late December.
"The board felt after reviewing Valerie's qualifications that she was best suited for the position," said Tim Wilkerson, president of the FHA board. "Having served as office manager for the past year was a benefit."
The Housing Authority manages Fulton's 200 public housing units and administers Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers in the area. The executive director is responsible for directing, planning and organizing the operation of low-rent and housing assistance programs and advising the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, among other duties.
"I want the community to thrive in all the right ways," Sebacher said. "These folks are so deserving of it. There's sometimes sometimes a stigma surrounding this type of community. I want people to know it doesn't have to be that way."
Sebacher also has a new second-in-command: Thomas Branch, the FHA maintenance technician who served as interim director between September and December. He has been named deputy executive director and head of the maintenance department.
Sebacher had worked for the FHA for about a year when she decided to apply for the position. Previously, she worked in insurance and for the Fulton Police Department as a transcriptionist. She also serves on the board for SERVE and on Fulton's Human Rights Committee.
"I felt as though the Housing Authority had gotten some not-so-great press lately," she said of why she decided to apply for the executive director position. "I wanted to remind the community that we're here to help and to be of service. I think tenants deserve someone who is going to invest in them."
The previous executive director, Chris Garrett, was put on paid administrative leave Aug. 28 while the FHA board conducted an investigation into multiple tenants' allegations that Garrett illegally evicted them. The board voted unanimously on Sept. 21 to remove Garrett as executive director. Speaking on behalf of the board, lawyer Jacque Brazas said he was terminated "for failure to comply with FHA policies and other policies applicable to public housing authorities."
Garrett was arrested Oct. 21 after the Fulton Police Department determined he had terminated the leases of four tenants then changed the locks on their apartments, illegally depriving the tenants of their belongings. No charges have been filed in that case, according to online court records.
Keeping the office afloat proved a learning experience for both Sebacher and Branch. Sebacher praised the other FHA office staff for their hard work.
"We had deadlines to meet, which fell to myself and Thomas," she said. "Luckily, because of COVID-19, there were some relaxed restrictions and deadlines were more fluid."
Sebacher said she received some training from Garrett about reporting requirements. She's been studying up on other Housing and Urban Development rules and guidelines and said the HUD regional office in St. Louis has been helpful.
Once she settles into the role, Sebacher has big plans for making Fulton's public housing a better place to live.
"I want to (make it a) family-oriented environment," she said.
That starts with a community blood drive at the John C. Harris Community Center sometime in the next few weeks.
"It's such a feel-good thing," she said. "And it's a way to utilize all the space we have at the community center while being safe."
After the pandemic, she hopes to host cookouts, classes, after-school activities and more.
She also plans to be available for tenants, starting now.
"My door's open," she said. "Anyone is welcome to come in and say hello at any time."
Sebacher wants to resume hosting regular resident council meetings once it's safe to do so. Housing Authority residents and other community members are welcome to join FHA board meetings.
Sebacher will continue to hold her Ward 1 Fulton City Council seat and has filed to run for re-election. She said she's checked with HUD and holding both positions is permissible, as the City Council position is nonpartisan.
"The FHA is under the city of Fulton - the mayor appoints members of the FHA board," Sebacher said. "Occasionally, the FHA has to go to the city to make a request. In that situation, I've signed a contract that I will recuse myself from that vote."