Activists pressure mayor to remove director of housing authority

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- An activist group ramped up its campaign to pressure Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson into supporting the removal of Willie Hines as director of Milwaukee's public housing authority.

In an open letter released Thursday, Common Ground insinuated Johnson was comfortable allowing Hines to lead the troubled Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) until next March because that would maximize Hines' city pension.

HACM residents have complained publicly about maintenance issues and security concerns at several of the agency's 27 properties, which have a combined total of more than 4,000 housing units. Federal officials have also questioned HACM's accounting practices.

In January, Johnson told CBS 58 he was confident in Hines continuing to lead agency and said he felt HACM was making enough improvements to continue with the current senior leadership in place.

"Right now, I’m comfortable with Willie remaining in charge,” Johnson said in the January interview.

In June, when Johnson announced three appointees to the HACM board, he added the city would hire a "nationally recognized public housing consultant" to help the agency. Common Ground said in Thursday's letter the need for a consultant demonstrated Hines was failing to lead the agency.

The Common Ground letter listed the names of more than 180 HACM residents Common Ground said had signed onto the message. It suggested Johnson wanted to allow Hines to complete three years as HACM's director, which would boost his pension payout.

"What about us, 12,000 low-income tenants who are predominantly elderly, Black and Brown, people with disabilities, and veterans," the letter read. "If only we could have comfortable retirements, too!"

CBS 58 shared a copy of the letter with Jeff Fleming, a spokesperson for the mayor's office Thursday and asked whether Johnson still supported Hines leading HACM.

"The Common Ground letter is loaded with innuendo and false statements," Fleming wrote in response. "Notably, it does not include a single, substantive suggestion to remedy the challenges HACM faces."

Common Ground leaders have publicly said for months they consider change at the top of HACM, including Hines' removal, to be one of the most important solutions the city should pursue.

"HACM leadership and well-intentioned city officials are advancing solutions for Milwaukee public housing," Fleming said in his statement. "We look forward to Common Council approval of the HACM board nominees, announced over a month ago, so that additional steps forward can occur."

A June letter from Common Council President Jose Perez, which was signed by 10 of the council's 15 members, criticized Johnson's HACM board appointments because members felt Johnson should have worked with the council to select those appointees.

The council will likely consider the board appointees in September after returning from its annual August recess.

"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," the letter read. "This includes evaluating, and reconsidering—if need be—those in positions of leadership at HACM."