NEW ORLEANS — A cascade of controversy followed Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s appointment of one of her bodyguards, 26-year veteran police officer Jeffrey Vappie, to the city’s public housing board, a non-paying assignment that Vappie once described as “a headache.”
But Housing Authority of New Orleans travel records show that Vappie did receive one substantial perk that he never mentioned amid the scrutiny and his subsequent reprimand: an all-expenses paid trip in September 2022 to a conference at Martha’s Vineyard with two other HANO board commissioners.
The agency spent nearly $2,700 in taxpayer dollars for Vappie’s registration, flight, meal per diem, and a three-night stay at the boutique Franklin Hotel in Edgartown, Mass., according to the HANO records obtained by WWL-TV through a public records request.
Accompanying Vappie to the conference hosted by the Housing and Development Law Institute were HANO board members Percy Manson, a banker, and Paul Richard, a real estate executive. The cost for Manson and Richard also came to about $2,700 each, the records show, plus another $362 for the shared cost of a rental car.
Martha's Vineyard is an exclusive island off the coast of Massachusetts known as a summer hideaway for the rich and famous. HDLI, a private non-profit specializing in legal issues related to public housing, has regularly held conferences on the island, their website shows.
City payroll records show that Vappie took vacation days to attend the conference from Sept. 14-17, unlike the two HANO meetings he attended while on the clock with the NOPD. Those meetings were among Vappie’s payroll irregularities that sparked an internal investigation by the Public Integrity Bureau.
The PIB probe resulted in a letter of reprimand for Vappie and a critical ruling from the federal judge overseeing the NOPD consent decree over the department. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan listed 13 separate consent decree violations in PIB’s handling of the case.
Vappie, appointed to the HANO board by Cantrell in March 2022, was removed a year later amid the controversy. His overlapping police hours at board meetings and irregular times accompanying the mayor as part of her executive protection detail sparked the PIB probe.
Vappie was removed from the protection detail for several months while under investigation but was reinstated in June following his reprimand.
The veteran officer was asked about his dual duties by PIB investigators, but at no point did reveal the Martha’s Vineyard trip. In fact, in leaked tape recordings of Vappie’s interrogation, he described his time on the board as more of an imposition than a perk or resume-builder.
“As it relates to this HANO thing, right, it was free,” Vappie said during questioning by a PIB investigator. “There's no financial gain I was getting for this. And I was allowed to do it at the behest of the mayor.”
Later in the questioning is this exchange with Vappie.
PIB Investigator: “There's no stipend?”
Vappie: “Correct.”
PIB Investigator: “No payment?
Vappie: “That's right.”
PIB Investigator: “No anything?”
Vappie: “Nothing but a headache trying to help the people with their housing.”
“This is tremendously concerning,” City Council President J.P. Morrell said. “Going to Martha's Vineyard? To say that it is a significant disconnect would be an understatement. It's a slap in the face.”
Morrell questioned why any HANO Board members would need to go to a conference so far away, not just geographically, but seemingly distant from the problems that public housing residents face in New Orleans.
“Once you make the decision as a board to go to Martha's Vineyard, there's no Motel 6 there,” Morrell said. “I think it's a tremendously horrific message to the people of this city, especially those who are living on the margins and trying to live in HANO properties.”
The HANO Board is made up of nine unpaid members appointed by the mayor. They usually meet once a month. Vappie was asked about his HANO appointment during questioning by Public Integrity investigators.
“So I had a talk with my boss, which is the mayor,” Vappie responded. “I had just gotten a master's degree. I graduated in 2020 in government administration and I was asking her, how would one start their career, outside, after law enforcement.”
Even before the revelation of Vappie’s trip to Martha’s Vineyard, Morrell and others questioned what connection a 26-year veteran police officer has with housing issues. Vappie’s “Linked In” page does not list any experience or expertise in housing or real estate.
“This is not a throwaway board you should appoint anyone to,” Morrell said. “It’s an important board that is directly involved in solving the housing crisis in the city of New Orleans. This is not a patronage board you put someone on so they can go on vacation.”
When shown the details of the Martha’s Vineyard trip, including attendance by three board commissioners, Morrell said he will consult with other council members on how to exert more oversight of HANO, which is funded mainly by federal tax dollars.
“I'm speechless,” Morrell said. “I think at the end of the day, there's going to have to be a significant re-visiting, whether it be on the city or the state level, on re-aligning this board back to its mission.”
WWL-TV reached out to HANO for comment on Vappie's travel and they said:
“HANO Commissioner travel is related to industry-specific board trainings that help board members fully understand their roles and responsibilities as commissioners. The training that is being inquired about is hosted by the Housing and Development Law Institute (HDLI), which is a national organization that provides legal training to housing authority boards on industry best practices. HDLI pre-determines the location of the training, and commissioners from around the country are encouraged to attend. To emphasize the importance of board training, appointed HANO commissioners receive onboard training, with each commissioner also having the opportunity to attend the annual commissioner training conducted by HDLI. In addition, when traveling on behalf of the agency, commissioners adhere to HANO’s travel and training policy.” – Carol Johnson, President, HANO Board of Commissioners"
The station also contacted City Hall, but a spokesman said they have no comment because Vappie was traveling for HANO.
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