Advocates file lawsuit against Chicago Housing Authority over appointment of new CEO

Housing advocates have filed a lawsuit contesting the Chicago Housing Authority’s decision to appoint a new chief executive officer last month.

They say the CHA board's decision March 17 to appoint Keith Pettigrew, who was executive director of the District of Columbia Housing Authority, violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act, which requires public bodies to give advance notice of meetings and prohibits them from taking action on items not listed on the publicized agenda.

The final item on the agenda was "Approval of Personnel Matters," which did not sufficiently inform anyone about Pettigrew's appointment, according to Loevy & Loevy, the law firm representing the plantiffs in the suit.

“This is exactly the kind of secrecy that the Open Meetings Act was designed to prevent,” attorney Matt Topic said. “The leadership of CHA is of vital importance to the health and well-being of the city of Chicago, and, under the laws of this state, the public has a legal right to be informed about, and have a voice in, that process.”

A group of advocates from the Lugenia Burns Hope Center, Working Family Solidarity and the Chicago Housing Initiative announced their intent to file a lawsuit on Tuesday outside the CHA headquarters.

The CHA had gone 16 months without a CEO before the board voted 7-2 to appoint Pettigrew. The vote was seen as a setback for Mayor Brandon Johnson, who had backed retired West Side Ald. Walter "Red" Burnett for the role.

"The mayor and his allies are using the court to attempt to override a democratic vote so that he can install his chosen candidate as CEO," the CHA said in a written statement. "This lawsuit is without merit, and we expect our process, which was fully compliant with all applicable laws, will be upheld.”

Last week, Matthew Brewer, who chairs the CHA board, said he's “very confident” that the board “complied with all applicable laws.”