A circuit court judge lifted a temporary restraining order that had barred Little Rock officials from appointing two members to the city’s housing authority commission.
The judge’s decision, issued on Wednesday, is the latest development in a contentious shakeup at the Metropolitan Housing Alliance, the city commission that oversees affordable housing.
The board at the Metropolitan Housing Alliance is made up of five members, but two of the spots have remained vacant while two former commissioners, Leta Anthony and Lee Lindsey, sue the city. The pair was removed from the commission in September after the Little Rock Board of Directors advised Mayor Frank Scott Jr. to request the resignation of all members amid reports of poor evaluations.
Those who refused to resign made their case for staying on the board during a city hearing, and the city directors voted on their fates. Anthony and Lindsey were ousted, and a lawsuit quickly followed alleging the city did not provide due process.
The lawsuit is expected to determine whether Anthony and Lindsey were inappropriately removed from the commission. The two are represented by Sylvester Smith, and Tom Carpenter is representing the city. Multiple hearings have been held, including the most recent in November where Judge Cara Connors decided that the housing authority’s affiliated nonprofit could join in the lawsuit.
Connors’ Wednesday letter said her decision to lift the temporary restraining order was in part because she did not receive any post-trial briefing from the plaintiffs despite two extensions.
Connors requested a post-trial briefing from the city following an Oct. 31 hearing. Carpenter submitted a brief two weeks later. On Nov. 27, when Smith’s brief was due, he sent a letter to the court requesting an extension because he “lost two workdays to an illness.” Two days later, Smith sent another letter requesting an extension because “I suffered an injury yesterday and have limited use of my right arm.”
It’s unclear at this time if the city can move forward with appointing new commissioners, or if Connors could later rule that Anthony and Lindsey should regain their positions.