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About Resident Participation Services

Resident Participation Services, PLLC has worked exclusively as an independent third-party monitor for public housing elections since 2007. It is the only thing the firm does.

RPS administers Resident Council, Resident Advisory Board, and Resident Commissioner elections under 24 CFR Part 964. The work runs from candidate eligibility review and informational meetings through recruiting and training resident Polling Site Monitors, ballot design and security, election day oversight, homebound voter accommodation, grievance investigation, tabulation, and certification. Resident Polling Site Monitors are recruited and paid in line with Section 3 requirements.

RPS is engaged through competitive solicitations.

Record

In nineteen years the firm has run hundreds of property-level elections reaching thousands of residents. RPS has served as the independent monitor for the District of Columbia Housing Authority, the Philadelphia Housing Authority, and the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority.

RPS has presented on election administration at six national NARSAAH conferences between 2012 and 2017, covering resident council elections, resident advisory elections, and the core services an independent monitor provides.

Team

• Scott Haapala

  Chief Independent Third-Party Monitor

  Scott leads every RPS engagement and serves as the primary point of contact for the housing authority. He oversees election administration and HUD compliance, drafts notices and training materials, assigns and supervises Polling Site Monitors, investigates grievances, and oversees tabulation and final reporting.

  He has administered HUD-regulated Resident Council and Board of Commissioners elections for nearly two decades. He holds a J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Washington.

• Joseph Kelly

  Deputy Independent Third-Party Monitor

  Joe co-founded RPS and has more than fifteen years of monitoring experience. He convenes candidate interest meetings, recruits resident candidates and Polling Site Monitors, trains and supervises staff at polling sites, assists with complaint investigations and tabulation, and oversees timely payment to Polling Site Monitors.

  He is an attorney with litigation, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution experience, and has represented parties in labor arbitration and federal dispute resolution. He holds a J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.

• Alice Akello

  Community Outreach Director

  Alice directs outreach and oversees the RPS associates in Philadelphia. She distributes candidate and Polling Site Monitor materials, convenes candidate interest meetings, recruits residents to serve as candidates and monitors, trains candidates and monitors, responds to resident inquiries, observes elections, and assists with tabulation.

  She has been with RPS since 2016 and worked on resident elections for three years before joining. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Nairobi, earned on a full merit scholarship.