Suffolk News-Herald

There was a good reason for the smile on Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority Executive Director Clarissa E. McAdoo’s face after this week’s board meeting.

In a surprise move, not only did SRHA commissioners grant McAdoo a 5 percent raise, increasing her salary to $87,609, but she also received a one-time $4,000 bonus.

&uot;Thank you very much,&uot; McAdoo told the board after it met in closed session for more than an hour discussing her evaluation Tuesday night.

After the announcement, board chairman Daniel Forbes said that the decision was &uot;unanimous and we didn’t have to kill each other.&uot;

This was not the case last year, when board members constantly argued about the agency’s affairs, and were undecided over McAdoo’s performance. They opted against giving McAdoo a raise last year.

But Forbes now acknowledges that the board hasn’t always had its act together, and that several good things are on the horizon for the agency, thanks to McAdoo.

&uot;This is well deserved,&uot; stressed Forbes. &uot;A lot of positive things are going on and Mrs. McAdoo has been very instrumental with that. We’re appreciative of the new level she’s leading us to.&uot;

For one, commissioners say the agency has better footing, employees are happier, and that McAdoo’s talents are, in part, the catalyst for major affordable housing initiatives in the pipeline. The SRHA and the city have partnered up to work on the $10 million Fairgrounds plan, which promises to give the Suffolk’s urban core a commercial and

residential rejuvenation.

The city and SRHA have signed off on a management agreement, clearly identifying the roles each entity will assume.