Mayor Johnson moves to fill vacancies on Housing Authority. He took another step to help troubled agency

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Published June 24, 2024

Mayor Cavalier Johnson is nominating replacements to the Milwaukee Housing Authority oversight board, after months of criticism from public housing residents and community organizers.

The Housing Authority has been under fire for more than a year after public housing tenants began speaking about hazardous living conditions, and federal regulators sounded the alarm about "risk for serious fraud, waste and abuse" inside the agency.

Tenants and organizers have accused its oversight board of operating in secrecy and not holding management accountable. Johnson, too, has come under fire for letting three seats on the seven-member board sit vacant.

In a media release Friday, Johnson also announced plans for more oversight.

"The mayor is working with current board members to bring on a nationally recognized public housing consultant to assist in addressing challenges [the Housing Authority] faces," the release said.

The cost and specifics of that consulting deal, however, haven't been determined yet, according to spokesperson Jeff Fleming.

Johnson will also be submitting two new board nominees to the Common Council on July 2. Johnson's nominees will likely face an uphill battle during their confirmation hearings.