The new CEO will be tasked with rebuilding residents\u2019 trust, boosting staff morale and addressing safety and environmental concerns at its properties while shepherding more housing developments in a city where housing has become increasingly less affordable<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThe new CEO will be joining CHA at a pivotal time of transition and progress, as the agency continues a bold shift toward renewal grounded in equity, accountability, and dignity for all residents,\u201d the CHA said in an emailed statement to the Tribune. <\/p>\n The CHA and the mayor\u2019s office did not make interim CHA CEO Angela Hurlock or Johnson available for comment. In response to a list of questions, the agency sent a statement and the mayor\u2019s office declined to comment. <\/p>\n Chicago mayors have significant control over sister agencies such as the CHA. They have the power to appoint board members and historically control final decision-making over CEO nominations. It\u2019s unclear how involved Johnson has been in the CHA\u2019s search. The mayor has at times struggled to control sister agencies, such as Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Transit Authority. <\/p>\n After former Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed her in 2020, Scott left her role<\/a> Nov. 1 and was replaced on an interim basis by then-board Chair Hurlock. Hurlock has acknowledged publicly that the agency is undergoing a \u201csignificant transition.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n A key moment in Scott\u2019s tenure was the decision she made for the CHA to lease 23 acres of land for the Chicago Fire Football Club\u2019s new training facility, a months-long controversy that was initially blocked<\/a> by the City Council and faced a lawsuit<\/a> (that was dismissed) and criticism from members of Congress<\/a>, housing advocates and public housing residents. The facility opened in March, as the deal continues to come under fire<\/a>. <\/p>\n While campaigning, Johnson said he wanted to enact a freeze on the transfer of CHA land for non-housing purposes. <\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot allow public land intended for housing to be auctioned off to the highest bidder or to political allies,\u201d Johnson\u2019s campaign website says. <\/p>\n Johnson and housing advocates, including Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th, say the agency has still not made good on its promises in its \u201cPlan for Transformation,\u201d its 2000 pledge to tear down and rebuild tens of thousands of units of public housing for Chicagoans. <\/p>\n Taylor, who made the news<\/a> in 2022 when she got off the CHA housing voucher waitlist after about 30 years, said some staff at CHA \u201cneed to go\u201d because they \u201cdon\u2019t believe in public housing.\u201d The next CEO needs to address that personnel issue, Taylor said, as well as prioritize building housing. Vice Mayor Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th \u2014 who is reputed to be a candidate for the CEO position \u2014 agreed that now is a good time for the agency to leverage public dollars to construct more housing on the CHA\u2019s vacant land as interest rates are high, making it more challenging for developers to finance projects. <\/p>\n \u201cWe gotta have somebody who comes in to work with us and not against us,\u201d Taylor told the Tribune, who is on City Council\u2019s Housing and Real Estate Committee. <\/p>\n Facing challenges<\/b><\/p>\n The year started off with a gut punch for the CHA when a jury decided<\/a> in January that the agency must pay more than $24 million to two residents who sued over alleged lead paint poisoning of their two children. Property management companies, The Habitat Co. and East Lake Management Group, were also sued as a part of the lawsuit, as they had managed the residents\u2019 CHA-owned property, but were found<\/a> not liable for the children\u2019s injuries. The two companies did end up settling with the plaintiffs for much smaller amounts. The CHA is still contesting the ruling in court. <\/p>\n Habitat then sued<\/a> the CHA and two of its attorneys in February for an alleged breach of contract and legal malpractice over the agency\u2019s handling of the lead poisoning lawsuit. A few months prior to the January ruling, Habitat had terminated<\/a> all of its management agreements with the CHA, which accounted for 16 buildings and approximately 3,400 units of public housing. <\/p>\n A slew of CHA executives also departed the agency in January and February. Eight high-ranking officials<\/a> have left the agency since August, including the former CEO<\/a> and three officials who were fired. Ryan Ross, who worked as a senior director of asset management, was terminated<\/a> for breaking agency procedures, including one that cost CHA over $19,000. The agency disclosed this month through public records that two other people were terminated, Ann McKenzie and Dan Cruz<\/a>, who were chief development officer and chief of staff, respectively. The CHA did not provide an explanation for their terminations, nor do public records show any history of disciplinary action.<\/p>\n Eric Garrett, who oversaw Ross\u2019 department as the CHA\u2019s chief operating officer, resigned Jan. 3. Ellen Harris, CHA\u2019s former general counsel, resigned in August, after allegations from staff that she created a \u201ctoxic work culture.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n While managing the turnover, the CHA has been in a scuffle<\/a> with a resident leader who says the agency is not keeping its contractual obligation to rehab Brooks Homes, the 330-unit building where she and other CHA residents live adjacent to the new soccer facility. The CHA disagrees with<\/a> the resident\u2019s assessment and says resident leaders are becoming a liability to construction projects following a CHA Office of the Inspector General report. <\/p>\n Hurlock and other CHA officials joined Johnson in February to announce a series of initiatives<\/a> \u2014 dubbed CHA\u2019s \u201cyear of renewal\u201d \u2014 aimed at addressing \u201cpast challenges\u201d around transparency and engagement with residents, as well as increasing housing and safety for residents. The housing authority serves more than 65,000 households, and it is the largest single owner of rental housing in the city with more than 21,000 public housing units. <\/p>\n The CHA has since followed through on some of those commitments. It launched a resident survey June 12 to help the agency \u201cbetter understand how residents feel about their housing and the services they receive,\u201d a news release said, and to \u201cshape policies and programs and to foster operational excellence.\u201d The survey, which is being conducted by an external consultant to ensure confidentiality, is scheduled to close July 9. <\/p>\n The housing authority said it will use the survey results to \u201chelp guide\u201d its upcoming strategic planning process slated to begin by the end of the year. <\/p>\n \u201cThis effort will be a top priority for the incoming CEO as we work to define the agency\u2019s long-term goals and strategic direction,\u201d the statement said. <\/p>\n The agency created a new division<\/a> in April focused on environmental concerns and hazards for residents. The division\u2019s staff will start by focusing on lead-based paint hazards as they build out the new program. <\/p>\n The CHA also put out a request for proposals earlier this year to hire new property management companies for thousands of units. The agency did not respond to questions about when the new managers would be selected. The agency said in February that it was looking for new \u201clocal and community-based organizations.\u201d <\/p>\n Despite the changes, morale is \u201cnot good,\u201d said a CHA staff member of over two decades who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. \u201cThey talk about all this change, but it\u2019s really no change. The same stuff is going on, just different players.\u201d <\/p>\n The employee said the new CEO should prioritize getting to know residents and non-managerial staff and rooting out a culture of favoritism for certain individuals within the agency. The Tribune was copied on an anonymous email sent to the CHA board allegedly from six CHA employees in April that shared similar sentiments about the agency\u2019s work environment. <\/p>\n The CHA did not comment specifically on morale at the agency, but said, \u201cThroughout this period of growth and change, CHA remains firmly committed to our mission to provide stability, dignity and opportunity for the 135,000 residents we serve across all 77 Chicago neighborhoods.\u201d <\/p>\n New (or old) leader<\/b><\/p>\n The CHA has shared publicly that it has a \u201cdiverse and inclusive\u201d CEO search committee, with \u201cresident leaders\u201d included. But Washington<\/a>, the board member, is the only resident on the committee, according to information shared with the Tribune through a public records request. <\/p>\n The rest of the committee includes interim CEO Hurlock, Chicago Department of Housing Commissioner Lissette Casta\u00f1eda, Chicago Department of Planning and Development Commissioner Ciere Boatright, CHA board member James Matanky and CHA interim board Chair Matthew Brewer. <\/p>\n The CHA did not answer Tribune questions about how many candidates are being considered, who they are and when a decision would be made. The agency has said publicly that it expects a CEO to be named by summer. <\/p>\n The housing authority told the Tribune that 107 candidates applied for the role and that it was \u201cgrateful for the strong level of interest.\u201d It did not answer questions related to how this level of interest compares to past searches. <\/p>\n Eugene Jones Jr., Scott\u2019s predecessor, is being considered for the top job again, according to Tribune sources. Jones declined to comment. <\/p>\n Ald. Burnett confirmed for the Tribune that Jones was being considered for the role in early June. Burnett said Jones \u201cdid a decent job\u201d and was \u201ceasy to work with.\u201d <\/p>\n Asked if he would comment on chatter that he is being considered for the CEO job himself, Burnett said he is at a \u201cpivotal moment\u201d in his life. <\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people are asking me to do a lot of things, so I\u2019m getting offers from everywhere,\u201d Burnett said. \u201cNever say never.\u201d <\/p>\n Jones has some supporters. Cheryl Johnson, a resident of CHA\u2019s Altgeld Gardens on the Far South Side for 63 years, said Jones is \u201cthe best we ever had as a CEO.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cResidents were first in his priorities,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n She runs an organization called People for Community Recovery that was founded at Altgeld to advocate around tenants rights and environmental justice issues. Included in that advocacy work has been the effort to incorporate renewable energy into CHA\u2019s public housing sites, an issue she said she and Jones went \u201ctoe-to-toe\u201d on. The two had different concerns, she said, but \u201che is fair.\u201d <\/p>\n Housing advocates told the Tribune that while Jones was held in higher favor with residents during his tenure than Scott, they do not view him the same way and do not want a second go-round. <\/p>\n \u201cWe need to be going in a new direction,\u201d said Rod Wilson, executive director of the Lugenia Burns Hope Center, an advocacy organization that focuses on housing issues in Chicago. \u201cHiring a previous CEO that did not produce the number of units that we needed at that time with the resources that we had is not the direction to go in.\u201d <\/p>\n After announcing in August 2020 that he was leaving for the Atlanta Housing Authority in September 2020, Jones ended up leaving abruptly<\/a> before his declared departure date. Jones had provided some continuity for an agency that had seen<\/a> three CEOs in four years prior to his four-and-a-half year tenure. <\/p>\n Johnson, the Altgeld Gardens resident, offered some advice to the next CEO:<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t come in as a dictator. Come with an open mind and think outside the box and listen to the concerns of the residents and hear them. Don\u2019t just have meetings just to check a box. Have a meeting to effect change.\u201d <\/p>\n ChicagoTribune\u2019s Gregory Royal Pratt and Alice Yin contributed.<\/p>\n![\"Tracey](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CTC-housing-museum10_177134743.jpg\")
Tracey Scott, CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority, speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony for the National Public Housing Museum on Oct. 11, 2022. (Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CTC-l-Chicago-Fire-facility-ope-20_221666532.jpg\")
The dome training field at the Endeavor Health Performance Center, the Chicago Fire’s new practice facility, on the Near West Side, March 3, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ctc-l-CHA-HACC-building-filer-0309-04_221902040-e1751047023973.jpg\")
The Chicago Housing Authority client service center building, 60 E. Van Buren St., on March 9, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"Interim](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CTC-l-CHA-staff-turnover084_219999478.jpg\")
Interim Chicago Housing Authority CEO Angela Hurlock, left, and interim CHA Board Chairman Matthew Brewer talk before a special board meeting on Feb. 20, 2025. (Audrey Richardson\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"Eugene](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ctc-Rahm-Groundbreaking-Selects7_178701217.jpg\")
Eugene Jones, Jr., CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority, speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Taylor Street Apartments and Roosevelt Branch Library on Jan. 28, 2018. (Nancy Stone\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/CTC-L-earth-day-altgeld09_227319984.jpg\")
Cheryl Johnson, executive director of People for Community Recovery, leads the way as she, Mayor Brandon Johnson and others participate in the Earth Day Tour at the Altgeld Gardens Public Housing community on April 22, 2025. (Antonio Perez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n