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A Lakeland resident and community activist is urging city commissioners to remove four of seven members of the Lakeland Housing Authority (LHA) board, escalating months of frustration over how the agency is run.
Speaking at the end of the April 6 City Commission meeting, Harlem Turner said: “I’m asking this board to remove David Samples, the chairman. I’m asking this board to remove Stacy Campbell-Domineck. I’m asking this board to remove Annie Gibson, the vice chairman. And I’m asking this board to remove Charles Welch.”
Turner did not call for the removal of the board’s other three members: Michael Konen, Curtisha James, and Dewey Chancey.
‘We need to start fresh’
Turner’s comments follow more than seven months of residents raising concerns about the Housing Authority and its executive director, Ben Stevenson, who reports to the LHA board. Allegations include nepotism, retaliation, and discrimination.
“These are things we’ve been talking about for the longest,” Turner said. “Meanwhile, people’s lives are being uprooted, and we are taking our precious time to get it right.”
Turner said Welch, a senior citizen who lives in a Lakeland Housing Authority property, is in an impossible position.
“Whatever they say, he just votes. And I believe in my heart that if he says anything, he’s going to get retaliated, and he’s probably going to get kicked out from over there,” Turner said. However, at least one member of the Housing Authority board is required to be a resident.
Turner accused Stevenson of “continu[ing] to manipulate the system” and said, “He should not be there that long. When you’re wrong, you’re wrong.”
He framed the request as a reset: “We need to start fresh down there.”
Turner closed with a direct plea to Sara Roberts McCarley.
“Mayor, I’m asking you, please, please make it your priority,” he said. “I’m coming because of those ones that are afraid to speak.”
Mayor: request is new, next steps unclear
In a phone interview after the meeting, McCarley said she has been fielding complaints about the Housing Authority for months — in public comment, emails, and private meetings — but Monday was the first time she had heard a direct request to remove specific board members.
She said she will follow up with city staff, including the city manager and city attorney, but cautioned that removal is not simple — and may not be fully within the city’s control.
“I’m not certain of the legal framework of that … whether they serve at the pleasure [of the commission] or whether they can only be removed for cause,” McCarley said.
Part of the challenge, she said, is that the Housing Authority operates differently than most city boards.
LHA board is ‘an anomaly’
While the mayor nominates members and commissioners confirm them, the city does not directly manage the board or its staff.
“It’s sort of an anomaly compared to those other boards and committees,” McCarley said.
The agency is also overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, adding another layer of complexity. Breaking federal rules, even inadvertently, could put grant funding at risk.
“When you start talking about the Housing Authority … there’s probably a federal layer in there that’s unique,” she said.
Commissioner Terry Coney said that distinction is often misunderstood.
“People think that the Commission has some type of control, which it doesn’t,” Coney said.
He added that even a full board shake-up might not resolve the underlying concerns.
“Even if you fired them all tomorrow, there’s no guarantee that the new board members would reach different conclusions,” he said.
Coney said federal oversight has not identified wrongdoing in the agency’s operations, though some residents’ complaints focus on issues outside routine compliance audits.
Pressure for accountability
Other commissioners signaled more willingness to revisit the board’s performance.
Commissioner Guy LaLonde said in a phone interview that he has long had concerns about how the board oversees its executive director. He formally requested an independent third-party investigation last fall, but Stevenson said board members declined, despite there never being a public vote.
“My concern is the executive director is telling the board what to do, instead of the board telling him,” LaLonde said.
LaLonde said he would support removing at least two members.
“I would be in favor of the removal of David Samples,” LaLonde said, adding that he is “a very, very nice person,” but has been too deferential to Stevenson.
LaLonde said he also shares concerns about board member Stacy Campbell-Domineck.
LaLonde said Campbell-Domineck is “very smart” and brings significant leadership and board experience, but he questioned whether her role leading CareerSource Polk — which works with the Lakeland Housing Authority on workforce initiatives — creates a potential conflict related to the agency’s YouthBuild job training program.
What happens next
Turner’s request was entered into the official record but not debated Monday.
Before the meeting adjourned, Commissioner Ashley Troutman signaled interest in taking up the issue in a future setting.
“To Mr. Turner’s point, is that something that we can take up in our next boards and committees meeting, kind of evaluating the current housing authority board members and their effectiveness on that board?” Troutman asked.
McCarley said staff will research the issue, but any action would require careful review to avoid unintended consequences, including potential conflicts with federal law.
“It has been heard,” McCarley said. “And it’s not an easy answer.”
LaLonde said he also wants the issue discussed further, calling it “very worthy” of additional review.
Lakeland Housing Authority Board members serve four-year terms. Their term expirations are as follows:
- Annie Gibson is in her first term. She holds the northwest seat. Her term expires on July 17, 2026.
- David Samples is in his second term. It expires on April 30, 2028.
- Stacy Campbell-Domineck is in her first term. She holds an at-large seat. It expires on Dec. 2, 2028.
- Curtisha James is in her first term, holding an at-large seat. It expires on March 17, 2029.
- Charles Welch was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Judy Mas. He is the housing resident member. His term expires on May 30, 2029.
- Dewey Chancey is in his first term. He holds the northeast seat. His term expires on May 30, 2029.
- Michael Konen is in his first full term. He holds an at-large seat. It expires on June 30, 2029.
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