Phenix Housing Panel Sees Changes

Coulter replaces Buddy Helton with Jim Lynn

Posted on Wed, May 19, 2004

BY ERIN SIMPSON
Staff Writer

Phenix City Mayor Sonny Coulter shook up the Phenix City Housing Authority at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Coulter replaced active member Buddy Helton, whose term expired this month, with Jim Lynn, a Phenix City Planning Commission member who has been involved with downtown redevelopment efforts.

Helton could have been reappointed to another five-year term.

"I think the appointment of Jim Lynn to the housing authority board in many ways signals a new beginning," Coulter said. "As we look forward to riverfront development and the location of Riverview, Jim is, in my opinion, the perfect choice to join and obviously lead the housing authority."

Lynn, 44, an associate director for documentation at TSYS, resigned from his planning commission position Monday to take on the Housing Authority post.

"Even as important as the planning commission work is, the issue of downtown redevelopment is No. 1 right now for Phenix City," Lynn said. "The issue of the relationship of the housing authority to this downtown redevelopment issue has been a big one, and it's been perceived as a stumbling block. I hope to help drive some change there."

Chuck Roberts, housing authority executive director, had asked for Helton to be reappointed, but said he would work with whoever was on the board. "I don't see any reason why we can't keep going as we have been," Roberts said.

Helton was an active board member for seven years, Roberts said. "He's done an outstanding job."

Helton, 74, said he enjoyed his tenure on the board and had hoped to be reappointed. "Let's just say I served a few years and tried to do the best I could for the city, and they didn't choose to reappoint me," he said. "I'm thankful for the time I had... . I reckon they figured I'd been there long enough."

The housing authority board hires its executive director. Roberts, 75, has been the director for 38 years. He said he's not worried the board will appoint someone else, and he has more than two years left on his current contract, though he may retire before that.

Lynn said he wouldn't speculate on whether changes would include a new executive director, since there are five members on the housing authority. "It is clear that those in the economic development community have not been real pleased with the leadership up there on this issue," he said. "Whether that means a change in leadership, that's something we'll have to deal with."

Coulter said Lynn was his first choice as the new housing authority member. "I don't know of anyone who has put more study into the riverfront and Riverview Apartments than Jim Lynn," he said. "He did it because of his association first of all with the planning commission, but more importantly he did it because he wants to see our city grow and develop, and he sees the importance of the riverfront property that is controlled by the housing authority."

Lynn said that's the reason he accepted the position. "Hopefully, we can sit down and decide what the best thing is to make the housing authority a leader and a player in moving the downtown redevelopment forward rapidly."

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Contact Erin Simpson at (706) 571-8586 or esimpson@ledger-enquirer.com