Chicago Housing Authority CEO Hire Sparks Lawsuit Threat

Chicago’s already fraught public housing leadership battle is heading to court.

A coalition of housing advocates plans to sue the Chicago Housing Authority over its surprise vote last month to install a new CEO, escalating a months-long power struggle that has left the $1.4 billion agency in political and operational limbo.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the groups — including the Lugenia Burns Hope Center, Working Family Solidarity and the Chicago Housing Initiative — announced their intent to file suit following the CHA board’s March 17 vote to appoint Keith Pettigrew, head of the District of Columbia Housing Authority. Advocates allege the board violated the state’s Open Meetings Act by failing to disclose the CEO vote on its public agenda.

Instead, the final agenda item was broadly labeled “Approval of Personnel Matters,” a move critics say masked a major leadership decision. Roderick Wilson of the Lugenia Burns Hope Center said during a news conference Tuesday that the word choice on the public agenda was used “intentionally and deceptively.”

The legal challenge adds another layer of uncertainty for an agency that has been without a permanent chief executive for 16 months — something that has perpetuated a deepening rift between the CHA board and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Johnson had pushed for former longtime alderman Walter Burnett to take the helm, even as questions swirled about potential conflicts of interest and a required one-year cooling-off period following his departure from City Council. Burnett resigned last summer in anticipation of the role, but never secured the appointment, as previously reported by The Real Deal.

Frustrated by the prolonged vacancy, the CHA board broke with City Hall and voted 7-2 to hire Pettigrew instead, blindsiding the mayor’s office. Johnson’s chief of staff later warned of “consequences,” accusing board members of knowingly skirting legal requirements, according to the Sun-Times.

The lawsuit, expected to be filed by Loevy & Loevy on Thursday or Friday, according to the publication, could stall Pettigrew’s appointment or force the board to revisit its process, further delaying leadership stability at a time when the agency is grappling with redevelopment pipelines, voucher oversight and federal scrutiny.

The CHA has defended its actions. Board Chair Matthew Brewer told the outlet that he is “very confident” the agency complied with all applicable laws, setting up a legal clash that could hinge on how transparency requirements are interpreted by public bodies.

Beyond the legal fight, the episode highlights the political stakes tied to CHA leadership. Control of the agency influences billions of dollars in housing investment, land use decisions and the pace of long-promised redevelopment across Chicago.

The last permanent CEO, Tracey Scott, stepped down from her post in October 2024 after four years, and CHA board member Angela Hurlock stepped in to take the reins on an interim basis. After a national search that resulted in the board submitting several names to Johnson for the job, the mayor insisted that the board appoint Burnett, kicking into gear the current stalemate.

— Eric Weilbacher