NEW ORLEANS - The Orleans Parish Board of Assessors officially accepted Betty Jefferson's resignation Monday and named her replacement.
Jefferson resigned last week, after pleading guilty to federal conspiracy charges.
Monday morning, the other assessors picked Connell Vallette to be the interim assessor in Jefferson's district. Vallette is a 17-year employee of the assessor's office, and was chief of staff for the Algiers municipal district. He said he was planning to retire at the end of the year, the same time the new single assessor, Erroll Williams, takes office.
"The first thing we need to do is just find out where we stand,” Vallette said. “We've got to figure out what's in the checking account, and what bills are due. I've got to talk to the staff, find out how exactly they do things, because everybody does things a little differently up here. I don't plan on making any sweeping changes.”
At an emergency meeting Monday, the assessors also asked the state legislative auditor to examine the books of Jefferson's district in light of federal charges that she diverted funds from the assessor's office to her bank account.
A lawyer for the assessors board also sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten asking how much assessor's money Betty Jefferson is accused of diverting to her personal account.
