SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane’s former Neighborhoods, Housing and Human Services Director accepted a position in Austin, Texas following his resignation back in June.
Cupid Alexander was nominated by Mayor Nadine Woodward and confirmed unanimously by the city council in November 2020. He officially stepped into the role on Nov. 16.
On June 15, Alexander surprisingly announced he was resigning, but did not reveal any friction with other city leaders, saying in statements only that he was "transition[ing] to another journey at the end of next month," and that "the timing was right for me."
But in an email sent to City Administrator Johnnie Perkins the next morning, on which many other city leaders were copied, Alexander expressed extreme frustration with his treatment and experience working for the city.
"You have a routine history of misconstruing and inaccurately representing words and actions," Alexander wrote. "You have treated me in comparison to my peers in a very disparate way."
Alexander complained that Perkins was attempting to force him out of his role sooner than his announced July 30 end date by omitting him from meetings and asking him to hand over duties.
According to a press release from the City of Austin, Alexander will join the city in early August 2021. He will be the city’s Housing and Planning Department’s Assistant Director and will oversee programming and policy implementation related to the department’s inclusive planning and displacement prevention initiatives.
