Eunice aldermen deny appeals of three removed housing authority board members

The Eunice mayor and board of aldermen and alderwomen on Sept. 24 denied appeals from three members removed from the Eunice Housing Authority board, concluding a special meeting convened to hear the removals.

The council heard testimony from the three appellants — Ronald Dies, David Guillory and Roland Miller — who said actions taken at an Aug. 15 Housing Authority meeting were later voided after the board learned the closed session violated Louisiana’s open-meetings laws. The council considered whether to reinstate the members who were removed by the council at its Sept. 10 regular meeting.

Ronald Dies, who told the council he was appointed to the Housing Authority board on April 9, 2024, said he raised procedural concerns at early meetings, questioned a proposed pay raise for the executive director and asked for clearer policies. Dies said he learned after the fact that the August meeting had been conducted in violation of open-meetings requirements and told the council he believed the full context was not before the aldermen when they voted to remove board members.

"[At the August meeting] the door was locked and Johnwell could hear voices inside," public commenter Kevin Johnwell told the council, describing his experience arriving at the Housing Authority meeting. Johnwell said he was questioned inside and felt his ethics-training status and participation were challenged during that meeting.

David Guillory, who said he joined the Housing Authority board Dec. 14, 2021 and later served as chairman, told the council the board’s guidelines were outdated and did not clearly explain public-meeting duties. Guillory said the closed meeting at issue addressed removing a date from a calendar and that the board has since retracted decisions made there after learning of the legal issue. He described upgrades the authority has made, including security cameras and a flood wall.

Roland Miller, appointed July 9, 2024, said he and other members learned that their photographs appeared in the Eunice News reporting their removal without prior notice. Miller said he had contacted Executive Director Ms. Gibbs, who told him she had not authorized a closed meeting, even though others said she had. Miller said the board retracted actions from the closed session once it learned the meeting violated the law.

Mayor Scott A. Fontenot told the appellants he had met with the Housing Authority director and outside counsel and that, once the council learned of an Open Meetings Law violation, the matter became a legal concern prompting council action. Alderman at Large Marion "Nootsie" Sattler, who seconded the motions to deny reinstatement, told the appellants he did not act from personal animus, saying, "If you wish to be first, be last and serve all." Alderwoman Germaine Simpson, who moved the motions, emphasized the council's obligation to address legal matters and protect tenants.

By motions moved by Alderwoman Germaine Simpson and seconded by Alderman at Large Marion "Nootsie" Sattler, the council "carried" votes to deny the appeals of Dies, Guillory and Miller. The meeting record states the motions carried but does not include a roll-call or a numerical tally of votes in the transcript.

With no further business, the board moved to adjourn.

The council’s action leaves the removals in place; the transcript does not record any further administrative steps, deadlines for appeal, or vote counts. The Housing Authority’s guidelines and training were discussed as issues the appellants and the council said would be addressed going forward.