DATE: Thursday, September 18, 1997          TAG: 9709180379

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MATTHEW DOLAN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   40 lines

HOUSING AUTHORITY DELAYS ACTION ON DIRECTOR

The Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority announced Wednesday night that it would delay any action involving the executive director until a special board meeting scheduled for Monday.

That announcement followed hours of discussion late into the night for the second day in a row about the job performance of the executive director, Douglas Falkner.

At a meeting Tuesday, Falkner heard several of his top managers criticize his performance in front of the authority's Board of Commissioners. On Wednesday the board held another meeting for those wishing to praise Falkner's six-month tenure.

This management roller-coaster ride, subjecting Falkner to ridicule then accolades, held up other authority business Wednesday night, including a new tenant agreement, tenant grievance procedures and purchase of a new headquarters building for the authority.

The board also interviewed several managers under Falkner in a closed-door session.

Longtime employees at the authority said they had never seen an executive director subjected to such a public review of his performance.

``I feel the way Mr. Falkner has been treated was like he was blind-sided,'' said recently retired Community Resources Coordinator Winston C. Lowery, who worked for the authority for 30 years. ``I think if employees had a problem they should have gone through a grievance procedure and not directly to the board.''

Authority Chairman Roland L. Thornton called for the Tuesday meeting for those unhappy with Falkner. Falkner's supporters were called forth by Thornton to attend Wednesday's meeting.

``The Board of Commissioners would like to invite any staff member . . . the opportunity to address them at tonight's regular meeting in support of the performance of Douglas Falkner, executive director,'' the memo reads.

Thornton and other commissioners were unavailable for comment late Wednesday.

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