DATE: Tuesday, September 23, 1997           TAG: 9709230251

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MATT DOLAN, STAFF WRITER

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   40 lines

CHESAPEAKE HOUSING CHIEF ASKED TO RESIGN TOP MANAGERS HAD CRITICIZED FALKNER'S JOB PERFROMANCE.

Douglas Falkner, who lasted six months as executive director, was asked to resign Monday night by the Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners.

The board, voting 5-4 against Falkner, met for several hours Monday night behind closed doors to discuss Falkner's fate.

Falkner, who was out of town when the board called its first meeting on his performance one week ago, said he accepted the board's decision but would be pursuing his legal options.

``I have 18 months on my contract left,'' Falkner said of his two-year employment contract, under which he receives $71,000 a year. ``They can't fire me unless they can give appropriate reasons.''

The board was still meeting late Monday night and the commissioners were unavailable for comment. Many details about Falkner's employment status were unclear.

Earlier Monday night, about 10 people from the South Norfolk area spoke out during the public session of the authority's meeting to support Falkner.

``If you let this man go, I don't think you are going to get anyone better,'' said Marian Bullock, a South Side Civic League member.

Falkner said he did not fully understand why the board had asked him to resign but added that several of his top managers had criticized his performance directly to the board instead of to him.

Nancy Evans, the authority's personnel manager, said Monday night that she had received no grievance reports from employees about Falkner. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Douglas Falkner says board ``can't fire me unless they can give

appropriate reasons.'' KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AUTHORITY

RESIGNATION

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