Embattled Head of Housing Authority Announces Retirement

Willie Hines, Jr. Photo from the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee.

A Friday afternoon news dump the day after the rent was due.

Willie Hines, Jr., the head of the beleaguered Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM), is retiring.

“Serving HACM and the City of Milwaukee for nearly 30 years has been one of the greatest honors of my life. This journey has been more than a career; it has been a mission, a passion, and a privilege to work alongside so many dedicated colleagues and partners committed to creating affordable housing solutions and improving lives in our community,” said Hines in a statement.

The agency is currently subject to a corrective action plan from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), its primary funder, and faces a broad-based campaign for reform from Common Ground Southeastern Wisconsin. Common Ground members have actively called for Hines to resign, something he and Mayor Cavalier Johnson resisted for months.

Hines, the former Common Council president who grew up in HACM housing, will turn 60 later this month.

A previously prepared estimate from the City of Milwaukee Employes’ Retirement System (CMERS), released to Urban Milwaukee in August, said Hines would begin receiving $142,600 annually if he retired in December. He would also receive a $89,861.31 lump sum payment, says the CMERS report, due to the 2001 Global Pension Settlement.

Prior to becoming HACM deputy director in 2015 and the permanent director (formally the Secretary-Executive Director) in 2022, Hines served as an alderman from 1996 through 2014 and the HACM board. For the purposes of calculating his pension, the CMERS report calculates his annual final average salary (a three-year lookback) at $222,000.

He was paid $252,000 in 2023.

In August, Common Ground said Johnson was protecting Hines, a political ally, so he could max out his pension. Johnson declined the charge.

“I don’t know how old Willie Hines is and when he’s going to retire. That is silly,” said Johnson. “And it’s Trumpian, just throwing things, no matter if it’s true or not and seeing if it stick. It’s not true.”

In a rare interview Friday with Genevieve Redsten, who announced his retirement, Hines noted he was eligible for his pension after his birthday.

Johnson’s office declined to comment to Urban Milwaukee on the retirement, but a spokesperson said the mayor only learned about the retirement plans in a “matter of days.”

Common Ground characterized the retirement as a win.

““Today is a momentous day for Milwaukee,” said associate organizer Kevin Solomon. “David beat Goliath. Thousands of low-income housing residents and Common Ground banded together for over two years to challenge entrenched and powerful interests, and fight for better living conditions. We overcame skepticism, doubt, secrecy and special interests. And we won.”

“Nobody believed us tenants at first. It was our word against Hines’,” said Roye “Chris” Logan, resident president of Mitchell Court. “After we made clear that our concerns are real, we were told we would never get rid of Hines. But guess what? We are Common Ground! We never give up, and we never go away.”

The organization has also celebrated the recent Common Council approval of four new board members, giving the oversight board a full complement of seven members.

“As I prepare to step into the next chapter of my life, I do so with a heart full of gratitude and pride in what we have achieved together. I am also filled with optimism for HACM’s future and confident in its ability to successfully navigate the complex challenges that housing authorities face,” said Hines. “Thank you to everyone who has been part of this remarkable journey. Your support and partnership have meant the world to me.”

HACM is close to fulfilling a key component of its corrective action plan: outsourcing management of its voucher program. In November, the board approved hiring a Florida-based firm.

The HUD review found that HACM was “at risk for serious fraud, waste and abuse.” There was a multi-million dollar discrepancy in funds and poor record keeping, according to HUD. The federal assistance program provides cash payments (vouchers) to private landlords to provide housing for qualifying low-income households.

In 2023, according to a January request for proposals (RFP), HACM was responsible for administering $42 million in vouchers and expected to receive $5 million in administrative fees. The vouchers cover approximately 7,800 housing units, of which 1,700 are HACM-owned. The majority of the vouchers go to private-sector housing used by lower-income residents.

The next HACM board meeting, a budget preview meeting, is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 9. The full board will host its annual meeting on Dec. 11.

The HACM board, appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council, will be responsible for hiring the next executive director.