Overview

• Resident leaders held a news conference on July 22 to publicly reject Ald. Walter Burnett Jr.’s candidacy for Chicago Housing Authority CEO, arguing he lacks recent lived experience and was added to the finalist list without broad input.
• They contend the CHA search committee submitted three candidates before Burnett’s name was added and say no other resident leaders were consulted on his nomination.
• Leaders warn that Burnett’s extensive ties to unions and developers could curtail job opportunities for residents and prompt the sale or repurposing of public housing land.
• In letters sent last month, the group urged Mayor Brandon Johnson to appoint former CHA CEO Eugene Jones Jr. and say they have yet to receive a response.
• Public records show Burnett’s wife breached the CHA’s ethics policy in 2022 by failing to disclose her leadership role in a political action committee, intensifying concerns about his potential conflicts of interest.