Increasing available housing is new chairman’s goal

Morgan City Assistant Police Chief Mark Griffin Jr. was elected the new housing authority board chairman Thursday, replacing Victory Ho, who resigned from the board in August after a drug arrest.
Griffin says he intends to focus on providing as many quality public housing units as possible for residents and continue moving the authority in a positive direction.
The Morgan City Housing Authority board approved Griffin to serve as chairman of the board. Griffin, 47, has worked at the police department for 25 years.
Formerly the board’s vice chairman, Griffin was appointed to the board in 2013 in the midst of turmoil with allegations that housing authority employees had received improper bonus payments. Three former housing authority employees are now serving jail time, and another ex-employee is on probation in the improper bonus scheme relating to theft of roughly $500,000.
Ho resigned from the board Aug. 22 after he was one of three people arrested Aug. 18 in a drug bust in Morgan City. The arrest was the result of a long-term narcotics investigation by the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office. Ho had been on the board since October 2010 and became chairman in 2011.
With the help of Acting Executive Director Clarence Robinson, Attorney Robert Duffy “and the rest of the board members, we’re finally starting to see day-light. And that’s the way that I want to continue see it going,” Griffin said.
Robinson became Morgan City Housing Authority Director in June 2013. He is also Berwick’s housing director.
Griffin’s biggest goal for the housing authority is to get units at Joe Ruffin Homes on Railroad Avenue back in use. The 29 units at Joe Ruffin Homes have not been used in four years due to drainage and plumbing issues. Officials are working to put 14 of those units back online by the end of the year.
Griffin wants to put into use all available units the housing authority has to provide “safe and sanitary housing” for residents. The housing authority has 247 of 288 units occupied, according to Robinson’s September unit report.
New commissioner Mike Giroir was also sworn in during the meeting to fill the vacancy on the board left by Ho’s resignation. Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi and the city council appointed Giroir to the board last month. Giroir said he has a lot to learn but he’s “going to jump on the bandwagon.”
Giroir lived in the housing authority as a child and is now a physical education teacher in the special education department for the St. Mary Parish School District.
Theresa Mitchell, who serves as resident commissioner on the board, was elected vice-chairwoman. Mitchell was appointed to the board in December 2014. She said she has strived to help residents through her service on the board.
Robinson is looking for-ward to working with the board members and doing “good things ... now that a lot of the weight has been taken off of this housing authority,” he said.
Robinson wants to make sure commissioners are properly trained about how the housing authority functions, including understanding the financial workings of the authority.
During the meeting, board members accepted Robinson’s recommendation to table action on the 2016-17 budget. The authority’s fiscal year starts Oct. 1. Housing officials are still working to finalize the proposed budget, Robinson said.
In the meantime, the housing authority will operate under the parameters of the 2015-16 budget until the board is able to approve the new budget.
In prior years, the Morgan City Housing Authority has been operating with two separate budgets covering different areas of the housing authority’s property due to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines, Robinson said.
The authority has dropped below the 350-unit threshold to have two separate budgets and now will have one budget, which will allow the authority to run more efficiently, Robinson said.
In other business, the board
—Approved an architect contract for Duplantis Design Group to modernize three units at Brownell Homes and one unit at Jacquet Homes.
—Approved the August bad debt write-off for tenants who left owing money.