By JIM BUTLER
Reform or revolt? Whichever way one views the past 10 months at GAEDA, whatever it was ends Thursday.
That seems clear from the agenda for the January meeting of the Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority, delayed from Tuesday due to weather conditions.
Items on the agenda include firing the board attorney and rehiring its former counsel and moving forward with a contract for an executive director without advertising the post.
A proposal to adopt a 2025 budget and amend the 2024 one raises the question — does a cooperative agreement with the city reached in November face revision?
The agenda doesn’t indicate who has added any particular item.
Membership of the Authority changed earlier this month when two newly-elected City Council members each appointed a new GAEDA commissioner, leading to speculation the pipers must be paid Thursday.
One item calls for terminating Barbara Melton immediately as board counsel in any and all instances — no letter, no fare thee well, no notice.
Another proposes accepting an engagement letter with Tiffany Sanders as board counsel. No mention of who or when such a letter was requested is noted.
Melton was hired following Sanders’ firing back in April after she sided with Angela Varnado when the board voided her hiring as executive director.
In the Fall four board members, two of whom have been replaced, asked the Legislative Auditor and DA Phillip Terrell to investigate what they considered questionable payments to Sanders after she was fired.
Varnado, whose contract included $120,000 annual salary, has been acting director since April. She is a longtime GAEDA employee.
An agenda item is to approve the executive director description as provided by Brandon Decuir. When that was requested and by who isn’t noted.
Along the same line, an item proposes to authorize the Executive Committee to negotiate a restructured contract with Varnado for presentation to the board on February 28.
Apparently that would put to rest the notion of seeking applications for the post.