Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority Commissioner Barrett Hardiman on Thursday afternoon called for the removal of Chief Executive Officer Steven Nesmith, but W.R. Bill Johnson Jr., chair of the RRHA board of commissioners, said Nesmith still has the support of a majority of the board.

“It’s time for a change” in leadership, Hardiman said, specifically citing Nesmith’s comments regarding Mayor Danny Avula’s purported support for the redevelopment of Gilpin Court .

Nesmith previously told The Times-Dispatch that Avula “loves” his proposal to transfer the city’s oldest and largest public housing project — home to more than 2,000 people — to a nonprofit subsidiary, and to raise private capital to rebuild its 82-year-old units.

But last week, Avula contradicted that claim , p

See Full Page