Housing Employees Express Concerns
Many of the Fort Peck Housing Authority employees didn’t come to work on Monday, March 31, after disagreements with procedures and the news of the termination of executive director Louella Contreras.
Tristan Randall, lead construction inspector, said on Sunday, March 30, that he anticipated about 40 of the housing authority’s 50 employees would give notice.
He cited the reasons include the removal of Contreras by the housing board of commissioners.
Past employees report that the number of employees submitting notice was in the 26-28 range.
Employees seek to have Contreras returned to her position and for the Tribal Executive Board to appoint a new board of commissions for housing.
Contreras declined to comment on the situation because her grievance hearing is scheduled for April 10. She said she filed her first grievance in mid-February for harassment by the housing board of commissioners. She believed that eight other employees also filed grievances.
Another employee claims that the housing board’s directives to the acting executive director are in violation of policies and procedures.
In a letter sent to tribal chairman Justin Gray Hawk Sr., employees note that the current acting director doesn’t have any history with the Fort Peck Housing Authority and its day-to-day operations.
“We feel her inexperience with FPHA is exactly why an over-controlling BOC put her in place to be able to use her to carry out duties at their will,” the letter states.
The letter claims that the power struggle between the BOC, the TEB and the executive director position is not only causing low morale but will result in hurting tenants and future tenants.
The letter states that the housing authority didn’t receive a $5 million competitive grant and a $2 million CDHG grant last fall. The feeling by employees is that these grants weren’t received because of a lack of consistency in the housing authority’s upper level positions.
Gray Hawk didn’t respond to requests for a comment about the situation.
