Iberia Parish School Board member and former New Iberia City Councilman Raymond “Shoe-Do” Lewis was appointed to the Housing Authority of New Iberia’s commission this week.

Lewis said during Tuesday’s city council meeting that he was going on the board not to “fight or fuss,” but to try to take HANI in a positive direction.

“Whatever’s going on that’s good or not so good, I’m accepting responsibility fo removing it forward,” Lewis said.

“We cannot afford to see this housing authority property in despair like this,” he added. “I’m not about tearing anything down, I’m about putting affordable housing for people that really need it.”

HANI has faced severe difficulties over the past several years, particularly in its relationship with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD has cited HANI for non-compliance issues for several years, to the point that the housing authority was on the brink of being dissolved altogether several times.

However, Mayor Freddie DeCourt and the New Iberia City Council stepped in as intermediaries to attempt to resolve some of the issues.

Last year, the St. John the Baptist Housing Authority stepped in to help HANI members get on a course to corrective action.

“It’s 200 units,” Lewis said. “You might have 60 occupied, 140 that’s just there. It makes no sense to me and we got to do better.”

Lewis will be filling in the seat left unoccupied following the departure of former board member Phanat Xanamane.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, the board also voted to dismiss Delanna Boutte from the HANI board after the mayor was informed that she was not attending HANI meetings.

However, the city is obliged to give notice of the firing, and Boutte could choose to appeal the decision before the council if she chooses.