Chicago Housing Authority may soon name new CEO
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The Cabrini-Green rowhouses stand in front of a new apartment building. Ald. Walter Burnett, who wants to lead CHA, grew up in Cabrini-Green. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Chicago Housing Authority could have a new leader in the coming weeks.
Why it matters: CHA, the largest single owner of rental housing in Chicago, continues to grapple with finding affordable housing for the thousands of residents who were displaced after the city demolished more than 80 buildings starting in the mid-1990s as part of its "Plan for Transformation."
State of play: 16,000 people are on the waiting list for CHA vouchers, but the agency has declared 2025 its "Year of Renewal," with a goal of being more transparent and accountable to residents.
- CHA has recently moved forward on some long-awaited developments. This week, it broke ground on new affordable units at the site of the former Robert Taylor Homes in Bronzeville, one of the most notorious public housing developments in the U.S. that was torn down during the transformation plan.
Catch up quick: Angela Hurlock took over last October as interim CEO after Tracey Scott, a holdover from the Lightfoot administration, resigned amid controversy over the city's decision to lease CHA land on the Near West Side to the Chicago Fire.
- CHA had promised to build more than 2,000 units near the site of the former ABLA Homes, but at the time of the agreement with the Chicago Fire, only about half were finished, Block Club reported.
- Last month, the agency unveiled more than 200 new units at the site.
The latest: Ald. Walter Burnett is angling to be the next CEO as he wraps up his tenure at City Council at the end of the month.
- The West Side alder grew up in the Cabrini-Green rowhouses, next to the high-rises that were leveled as part of the "Plan for Transformation."
- As alder of development-rich West Loop and Fulton Market and chair of the zoning committee, Burnett has been at the forefront of big changes in those neighborhoods.
How it works: The mayor picks the CHA head, but the agency's Board of Commissioners has to approve the choice.
What they're saying: CHA's Central Advisory Council opposes Burnett as the agency head, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday, expressing concerns that Burnett is too chummy with private developers.
The other side: Burnett says his relationships with developers would be an asset to CHA.
- "I built a whole neighborhood in the West Loop during the time that we tore down the buildings in public housing that haven't been built back," Burnett said this week on Fran Spielman's podcast. "CHA has to do more to leverage the private-public partnerships. I have all of the private partnerships from dealing with them in my ward."
Between the lines: Burnett regularly references his Cabrini roots. "This is my neighborhood. These are my people in this neighborhood," Burnett said last year at a groundbreaking for the new Bally's Chicago Casino in River West.
What we're watching: Johnson's office did not respond to Axios' questions about who he plans to select as the agency's new leader and when, but told reporters last week that Burnett is "a strong contender."
- "There are, of course, a couple other candidates that are in consideration, but Alderman Burnett is certainly at the top of that."
What's next: The CHA Board of Commissioners meets Tuesday and could vote on a new CEO if Johnson makes his selection in the coming days.