St. John Parish Housing Board Removed by Council

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 12, 2011

By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

EDGARD – The St. John the Baptist Parish on Tuesday voted to remove all five members of the parish’s Housing Authority Commission citing mismanagement problems detailed in a recent audit of the agency.

Following a lengthy hearing where three of the five commissioners defended themselves against accusations made in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-conducted audit, Council members Steve Lee, Jaclyn Hotard, Darnell Usry, Ronnie Smith and Raydel Morris voted in favor of the removal. Council members Charles Julien, Haston Lewis and Cheryl Millet cast votes against the measure.

Many of the council members who voted to oust commissioners Allen Smith, Paula Hart, Evelyn Williams, Arthur Smith and Priscilla James expressed comments indicating that they did not necessarily blame the commissioners for the deficiencies outlined in the audit.

“Sometimes it is just necessary to start over,” said Lee prior to the vote. “It is clear that this agency is in need of more help and support from HUD.”

The move by the council comes nearly three months after the release of a scathing audit report from HUD that detailed myriad violations by the St. John Housing Authority. The audit accused the agency of poor maintenance of units, inconsistent rent collection policies, chaotic meetings and poor accounting practices.

Winston Decuir, an attorney representing the commissioners in attendance, told the council that neither he nor his clients understood exactly what the commissioners did wrong. He said the council did not provide adequate cause for removal and added that the audit report could be construed as hearsay.

“You must be specific as to who did what while serving on the board,” Decuir said. “No notice was sent to any commissioner detailing what they are accused of.”

Prior to the vote, Councilman Charles Julien said he believed the council was acting to swiftly in removing the commissioners. He recommended keeping the existing board but sending them to get proper training to take care of the deficiencies detailed in the report.

The St. John Council scheduled a special meeting Thursday at noon in LaPlace to discuss new appointments to the Housing Authority Board. The meeting will be held at the council chambers in the Percy Hebert Building, 1801 W. Airline Highway.