By LEONARD GRAY

Managing Editor

LAPLACE – His aim is to restore integrity to the St. John Housing Authority. With his track record, according to his resume, he might have a good chance.

Joseph F. Johnson took the reins of the troubled agency Monday, and he was greeted with a Housing Board greeting, along with doughnuts.

However, Johnson was also greeted with reports, vacancies, paperwork and an agency long troubled by allegations of mismanagement.

Johnson, though, said Monday he is no stranger to challenges. “I enjoy it,” he said. “It’s a challenge, but the challenge is fun.”

With more than 20 years of experience as a public housing program professional, Johnson has local ties as well.

From April 2001 to July 2003, he was the executive director of St. James Parish Housing, where during his tenure, he developed a five-year plan to improve an agency which had a HUD accountability score of 18 out of 100.

At the end of 2001, that score had improved to 68 and to 80 for 2002.

A letter of recommendation from St. James Parish President Dale Hymel Jr. and the St. James Parish Council took note of that accomplishment and added, “You have instilled tremendous pride in the residents of St. James Parish Housing.”

Prior to St. James Parish, Johnson was successful in bringing another troubled housing authority to full recovery, this in Maricopa County, Arizona, moving the agency’s accountability score from 41 to 80.

“Both were tough, stimulating and achievable challeges,” he wrote in a letter to the search committee for St. John Parish Housing. He also credited the effort of staff, residents, HUD, the housing boards, local government leaders, law enforcement and community leaders.

Additionally, Johnson worked at the East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority, bringing integrity back to the agency, crippled by his two immediate predecessors, who both were jailed for illegal activities.

Johnson has also worked as a program director, senior building inspector and capital improvement manager, plus has taught part-time for 12 years for the University of Phoenix in Baton Rouge.

“Obviously, we need partnerships with the employees, the Housing Board, the sheriff’s office, HUD, the local government and the residents,” Johnson said.

A HUD team was due in yesterday to meet with Johnson to review policies and procedures, the outcome of which will be new benchmarks for accomplishments.

“I intend to be highly visible,” Johnson continued. “In St. James Parish, my door was always open, and it will be open here.”

One of his first agenda items will be a general clean-up of the housing developments in Edgard, Garyville, LaPlace and Reserve.

“It’s more or less a mission and not a job,” Johnson concluded.