The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wants to hire a new executive director for the Lafayette Housing Authority and has asked Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux to appoint a local board, a first step to remove the agency from federal supervision.

The Lafayette Housing Authority has been under federal administrative receivership since March 2011, when the local board was dissolved and replaced with a HUD employee.

The action came amid turmoil that began in August 2010 when the LHA’s 2008-09 audit revealed mismanagement, improper spending and other problems, some of which were uncorrected for years.

Walter Guillory, executive director at the time, resigned under pressure and then-City-Parish President Joey Durel fired the local LHA volunteer board.

Guillory later pleaded guilty to federal bid law and bribery charges and is serving time in federal prison.

Robideaux told The Daily Advertiser Wednesday that HUD asked him to appoint a new, local board by the end of March and he is compiling a list of people who might be interested.

Durel, who left office in January, refused to appoint a new board after three board members he dismissed in 2010 took him to court to retain their volunteer posts.

HUD also advised Robideaux of its plans to conduct a national search for a new LHA executive director.

A resolution is on the housing authority’s agenda Thursday that would authorize a national search to replace Katie Anderson as executive director.

Anderson, who previously was executive director of the DeRidder Housing Authority, was appointed chief operating officer of the LHA in July 2011. Her contract expires May 31 and the goal is to complete the selection process by then, according to Floyd Duran, HUD receiver and board for the LHA.

“Should the resolution be approved, (Robideaux) or his designated representative will participate on the selection panel,” Patricia Campbell, HUD pubic affairs officer for region 6, wrote in an e-mail.

Robideaux isn’t sure he can have a board in place quickly enough to understand its roles and responsibilities sufficiently to appoint the new director.

Campbell wrote that HUD would like to commend Anderson for “the excellent job she has done in turning around a very troubled housing authority, and she is eligible to participate in the national search.”