News -> INDReporter TUE, NOV 9 12:15PM by Leslie Turk

LHA backpay controversy grows

When the Lafayette Housing Authority’s board of commissioners voted Oct. 28 to give former Executive Director Walter Guillory and Deputy Director Jonathan Carmouche 30 days of pay, they were led to believe U.S. Housing and Urban Development monitor Dan Rodriguez had approved the payment. Not so, says Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, who has been traveling to Lafayette from Houston for the past couple of weeks to help turn the troubled housing authority around after a series of blistering audits questioned its management and expenditures, gave explicit instructions to the LHA’s board of commissioners: not one penny can be spent without HUD approval.

When the board met on Oct. 28, three days after Guillory and Carmouche resigned, board member John Freeman told his fellow commissioners that Rodriguez had informed him it was standard HUD policy to pay for 30 days, according to fellow board member Donald Fuselier, who voted to make the payment. “Freeman advised us Mr. Rodriguez had agreed to it. I relied on what Mr. Freeman said.”

Freeman did not return voice mail messages left on his cell phone Monday and Tuesday.

Rodriguez, through the LHA’s human resources director, issued the following statement via email on Nov. 4: “The payment to the ED and Deputy ED of 30 day pay is NOT APPROVED by HUD even if the Board approved it,” he wrote. Rodriguez directed the HR head to send the statement to all board members.

Guillory, who was getting more than $186,000 a year plus a $5,000 business allowance when he resigned, and Carmouche, whose salary was $85,000 (though he got an extra $20,000 for inspecting homes in 2009 and had already been paid $11,300 when he stopped conducting inspections this year after the 2009 audit questioned the extra work), were eligible to receive payment for 48 hours worked and up to 300 hours of accrued annual leave, according to the email.

At that same Oct. 28 meeting, the board also came close to voting on whether to pay fired Disaster Housing Assistance Program case managers for a month of back pay, The Daily Advertiser reported. It was the first meeting attended by newly appointed board member Shirley Vige. The Advertiser noted that Freeman and board member Leon Simmons attempted to amend the agenda to include a vote on the back pay matter for the DHAP workers, who claim they are owed for 30 days because they did not get a 30-day notice of their dismissal, a requirement of their contracts -- all of which had expired when they were terminated in August. But when Fuselier and Vige shot down an attempt to vote on the matter, it failed to make the agenda for lack of a two-thirds vote.

Rodriguez did not return phone calls or an email seeking comment on these issues.



Comments (13)add
...
written by Cajunhiker , November 09, 2010 - 12:48 pm
Did you see Mr. Freeman and Mr. Dennis on AOC Sunday evening with host John Best sounding incredulous that everyone was saying they could have looked at the audit on the internet, when the board paid $40,000 for the audit and they expected the audit to be presented to them formally and not look at it on the internet. (they forgot to mention that they didn't ask for the audit even though they could have, and when former chairman Buddy Webb asked for it at a late July meeting, Mr. Guillory lied and said he didn't have it even though Webb knew he had it, then everyone agreed to go into executive session.)
The trio - Freeman, Dennis and Best - also attacked Mr. Fuselier, saying he made the motion to give Mr. Guillory a raise. Best argued Joey Durel should have fired the whole board, including Fuselier.
They brought up most of the issues about everything and everybody, and offered excuses for everything, and laid blame everywhere except on themselves. They did everything except accept responsibility and offer to resign for the obvious mistakes made on their watch.
At least Mr. Best challenged Mr. Freeman when he argued that the new executive director should be allowed to work for LHA and for other entities, including other housing boards, at the same time.
...
written by Woody , November 09, 2010 - 01:24 pm
Sounds to me like they violated the terms of the contract so the 30 day severance is out the window. Let them sue and see how far they get with it. greedy, greedy thieves.

I wish someone could explain to me the purpose of the LHA to start with....anybody???
...
written by LSMFT , November 09, 2010 - 01:25 pm
Send in the Marines before these morons spend more taxpayer money. John Freeman must have an IQ of -179.
...
written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , November 09, 2010 - 04:16 pm
GA, IQ'S ? HUH WHERE, WHERE ?
ANYONE person being paid that ridiculous sum of money in salary for supposedly managing the LHA AFFAIRS, and resorts to stealing more is a completely uselessly couillion, what a couillion. These dumbasses would steal the bread from an orphans table, C'MON SAY IT AIN'T SO, JOE ?
...
written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , November 09, 2010 - 09:19 pm
The shame of it that these couillions could attempt to claim stupidy as a defense.
These lowlifes should have been politicians, their disclaim of any wrong doing is so politicoesque.
...
written by bouillion , November 10, 2010 - 08:48 am
"At least Mr. Best challenged Mr. Freeman when he argued that the new executive director should be allowed to work for LHA and for other entities, including other housing boards, at the same time." That worked well for Opelousas and Lafayette didn't it?

...
written by realitychecks , November 10, 2010 - 09:20 am
"that Rodriguez had informed him it was standard HUD policy to pay for 30 days,"

Maybe read too much into that! He should have said, "where there are legitimate and legal payments requested". That did not translate to allowing these guys to take a vote on it after being told they could spend not even one penny! Too used to taking advantage of every avenue! What part of "NO!!" don't they understand?!? GOOD RIDDANCE!!
...
written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , November 10, 2010 - 12:05 pm
Ga ragin_cajun you're out of ink ?
Could you present us with one of your eloquent post, on just why Guillory, Carmouche, Freeman, Dennis, and Hilda the female rat (one of her alaises) should not be allowed to receive government cheese at the taxpayers expense, how about a "COUILLION CHECK, WOULD'NT YOU AGREE, THEY QUALIFY FOR A SLOW LEARNT CHECK ? How about you Walter, would you make that a quorum of three, by adding one of your impartial,
unbaised votes ? RAGIN_CAJUN & WALTER, you two accepting and agreeing on an opinion, GA THAT WOULD BE A FIRST. I'm vying for a NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, get with the program.




...
written by The Truth , November 10, 2010 - 01:04 pm
It is imperative that the every contract and the payroll be reviewed by the board. If you want to bring in qualified talent you will need to pay them well. The problem was not the pay but rather the lack of oversight. The proper checks and balances were not in place and enforced by the Executive Director nor the board. Simply changing board member will not answer the obvious, it will take close scruinty on a constant basis to ensure public trust is restored. Trust but verify!!!!
...
written by Click on this , November 11, 2010 - 10:27 am
As Forest says, stupid is, as stupid does.
...
written by The Original Northsidian , November 13, 2010 - 10:27 am
Don't get me started on John Freeman!!
...
written by Unknown , November 15, 2010 - 04:06 pm
LHA is temp. low income housing...
...
written by thetide , November 16, 2010 - 11:46 am
Stop Criticizing Guillory. He is done. His "ridiculous salary" stemmed from working 10 hour days. The man worked Saturdays. He was fired for a mistake he made, even after twelve years of excellent work.
You must be logged in to post a comment. Log in using your Facebook account or register if you do not have an account yet.

busy 
LA LA Land
Advertisement
Most Read
Advertisement
Advertisement
in case you missed it