Super Majority of Council Takes Issue With Mayor’s Handling of Housing Authority

Southlawn housing complex, part of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Add the Milwaukee Common Council to the growing chorus of people concerned about the conditions and operations of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM).

“The situation at [HACM] is no longer tenable,” wrote 10 of the 15 council members in an open letter to Mayor Cavalier Johnson released Wednesday.

The letter comes more than a year after Common Ground Southeastern Wisconsin launched a broad-based campaign targeting the “failing” conditions of the agency’s buildings and operations. Concerns have been raised about the poor conditions of properties, billing and record-keeping failures and retaliatory conduct by property managers.

The situation has proven difficult for the city to solve.

The city-affiliated agency’s board is appointed by Johnson and confirmed by the council, but its operations are managed by a board-appointed director and funding comes primarily from the federal government.

The city took initial steps last year to send city inspectors into its properties for the first time and provide supplemental funding to make repairs, but now council members want more.

“Our 12,000 fellow citizens who reside in HACM properties deserve to live in a clean and safe environment in which they are treated with dignity and respect by HACM management, the Board, and staff. We believe the time has come for all those connected to this agency to offer recommendations, appropriate to their areas of expertise, to place HACM on a better course,” wrote the council members, headlined by President José G. Pérez and Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic.

The letter was triggered by Johnson’s nomination of two new members and one reappointment to the seven-member board. Only four members are currently on the board, with one having a long-expired term.

Johnson said he is also working to bring in a “nationally recognized public housing consultant.”

The 10 council members want to see a better-defined plan for the board, including the addition of a council member, two HACM residents and an attorney with relevant expertise (see Johnson’s response at the end of this article). One of the vacancies on the board is for a designated spot for a HACM resident. Another spot is already filled by a current resident.

“We very much want HACM to succeed. A new and reinvigorated HACM board should have the freedom to pursue any and all corrective actions needed to chart a better course for the agency. This includes evaluating, and reconsidering—if need be—those in positions of leadership at HACM,” wrote the council members.

But they stopped short of explicitly calling for the removal of secretary-executive director Willie Hines, Jr., a former alderman who resigned in 2014 for a HACM deputy director position and became head of the agency in 2021.

“We are ready to help in any way possible, and we look forward to you embracing the spirit of collaboration needed for us to reach our shared goal. Your partnership is wanted, needed, and vital to HACM’s future success,” said the council members.

In a statement, Common Ground endorsed the letter. But maintained that it also wants Hines to resign.

“Common Ground fully supports the letter sent yesterday by a majority of alders to Mayor Johnson. We, too, want HACM to succeed. Until there is new leadership, however, residents will continue to suffer and taxpayer dollars will continue to be wasted on additional ‘consultants.’ We need a full board of seven independent experts who will prioritize residents. We commend the alders for advocating for residents, and look forward to public hearings for nominees,” said the organization.

Council members signing the letter included Pérez, Dimitrijevic, Jonathan Brostoff, Robert Bauman, Lamont Westmoreland, DiAndre Jackson, JoCasta Zamarripa, Sharlen P. Moore, Peter Burgelis and Scott Spiker.

Council members Andrea Pratt, Mark Chambers, Jr., Milele A. Coggs, Larresa Taylor and Russell W. Stamper, II did not sign onto the letter.

HACM provides housing to approximately 5,000 households in its own properties and, with federal vouchers, houses an additional 6,000 households in privately-owned properties.

Common Ground said in March 2023 it has interviewed or collected information from more than 1,200 HACM residents, spanning 17 properties, since 2020.

A copy of the letter is available on Urban Milwaukee.

Board Appointees

Johnson, in a press release, announced he was appointing two new members to the and reappointing the board vice president.

The two new members, subject to council confirmation, are Charlotte Hayslett and Karen Gotzler.

“Hayslett most recently served as the Vice President of Human Resources at Visit Milwaukee where she was the first African American woman on that agency’s leadership team,” said Johnson. Hayslett is a former HACM resident.

Gotzler, who lives in Milwaukee, has experience working for housing authorities in other cities. “For the past quarter-century Gotzler has been a consultant, contractor, or employee of public housing authorities. She is currently the Director of Asset Management for the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura. She has extensive experience in economic and housing development,” said the mayor.

Vice chair Brooke VandeBerg, an Associated Bank vice president and former city employee, is being reappointed. Her term expired in November.

Members are appointed to five-year terms.

“I appreciate the expertise and commitment each of these candidates bring to the Housing Authority board. They are all supporters of quality public housing and will provide direction to improve HACM’s operations,” said Johnson. “In my meetings with these candidates, it is clear they will be focused on solutions to the issues at hand.”

The council said the nominations are being referred to the Steering & Rules Committee, which is made up of the council president and committee chairs. The only chair not to sign the letter was Stamper.

Existing members, all of whom have terms expiring in 2027, include Darian Luckett, Irma Yépez Klassen and Sherri Reed Daniels.

Multi-decade member Mark Wagner, who had served as chair since 2014, passed away in August. Reed Daniels, a HACM resident, was elected chair in September.

Johnson Responds

In a letter released moments after this article was published, Johnson responded to the council’s concerns.

“Many months ago, I had directed my staff to work with HACM, the HACM Board of Commissioners and HUD to make the issues you underlined in your letter a priority,” said Johnson. “HACM must promptly resolve the issues it faces. It is essential that the leaders of city government fulfill their role, which at this time must prioritize appointing and confirming qualified board members.”

Johnson said he even tried to find a council member to sit on the board.

“I have focused on filling the vacant Housing Authority board positions with highly qualified individuals who will bring valuable experiences to the HACM board. My staff and I have vetted and considered numerous candidates, and I have personally met with the nominees I intend to present to the Common Council. While I welcome having a Council member among my nominees, it is not a requirement and I have found it difficult to find a member who is willing to sit on the board,” wrote Johnson. “In fact, over the past few months I have broached the possibility of serving on the HACM board with a number of Council members who signed the letter you recently sent, and I regret those individuals did not express interest. The nominees I will send you have backgrounds in financial matters and successfully running other housing authorities. They bring important perspectives that reflect the concerns of HACM residents. Most importantly, they bring a passion for making our Housing Authority a top-quality operation and prioritizing the residents above all else.”

He asked the council to “act promptly” to review the nominations, which do not yet appear in city legislative records.

“The challenges facing HACM are complicated, and imposing simple solutions is not the best path forward. I am committed to finding lasting resolutions to these challenges, and the nominees I will submit share that commitment,” said Johnson.

A copy of Johnson’s letter is available on Urban Milwaukee.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this article omitted Zamarripa from the list of signers.