By JIM BUTLER

GAEDA is not on today’s Alexandria City Council meeting agenda, but that’s not to say it isn’t on minds.

Since those proposing liquidation of the economic development authority blinked in face of the administration’s vow to take action against what Mayor Jacques Roy labeled a move “too nuclear in nature,” negotiations, if any, have been back channel.

At his latest briefing 10 days back the mayor said he thinks all parties are trying to resolve issues and offered to broker the process anyway he can.

He said that as of then he had not talked to any Authority commissioners about the matter, but would if asked.

The latest public development was Monday’s rescheduling of a hearing on new commissioner John Callis’ suit challenging events of the Spring.

Scheduled for hearing by District Judge Monique Rauls yesterday, it was pushed to June 17.

The GAEDA board has scheduled a special meeting Wednesday afternoon at which it will discuss the suit behind closed doors.

The board’s next regular meeting is supposed to be June 18.

At his briefing Roy addressed several points related to the matter:

He said he has not instructed any on his staff to weigh in on GAEDA personnel matters, nor has he done it personally; He has never pushed for his economic development adviser and former councilman Rick Ranson to be at GAEDA nor acted regarding any controls over the Authority grant process; He did not raise the question of using GAEDA funds outside the city limits (the U-Core project at England Air Park), it came to him. The idea the city is against the project is silly, he said.

The mayor offered any resource the administration could provide to break the logjam.

“It’s got to change. GAEDA has to be able to function. All the ugly has already been said, let’s move on. I stand ready to help,” he said.