# Chicago City Council rejects Mayor Johnson's two CHA board appointments, 29 to 16

*The City Council rejected Ramona Westbrook and John Bartlett for the CHA board on Oct. 14, 29 to 16, after a warning the board could be flipped to oust its CEO.*

By Chicago Politics · Updated Oct 16, 2026

The Chicago City Council rejected two of Mayor Brandon Johnson's appointments to the Chicago Housing Authority board on Oct. 14, ending a three-month path for Ramona Westbrook and John Bartlett.

The vote on Westbrook, [SA2026-0027373](/matter/SA2026-0027373-appointment-ramona-westbrook-commissioner-chicago-housing), was 16 in favor and 29 against, with five members not voting, according to the City Clerk's record. Bartlett's appointment, [SA2026-0027382](/matter/SA2026-0027382-appointment-john-bartlett-commissioner-chicago-housing), was defeated on the same roll call a few minutes later. Both had been deferred at the Sept. 23 meeting.

## Who were the appointees?

The mayor sent both names to the Council on July 15. The appointment letters, revised on Sept. 16, name Westbrook to succeed Matthew Brewer and Bartlett to succeed Angela Hurlock, both for terms expiring July 7, 2031, after each incumbent's term had expired.

At the Committee on Housing and Real Estate on Sept. 16, our notes say Westbrook introduced herself as an architect and business owner, and Bartlett as a former tenant organization director who would bring a tenant-centered perspective to the board. The committee recommended both, but the questions that would sink them were already on the table. Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th Ward) asked the appointees whether they intended to replace the CHA's chief executive, who was chosen through a nationwide search, and whether anyone had asked them to. Ald. Maria Hadden (49th Ward) said she supported the appointments and urged the appointees to use independent judgment on the CEO question. Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd Ward) and Ald. Michelle Harris (8th Ward) asked which expired terms the appointees would fill, and the committee chair, Ald. Byron Sigcho-López (25th Ward), agreed to provide a list of expired board terms.

## What happened on Sept. 23?

When Sigcho-López brought the Housing Committee's report to the Council floor on Sept. 23, Ald. Anthony Beale (9th Ward) moved to defer and publish both appointments, a parliamentary step that pushes an item to the next meeting.

> "And so yesterday, I got a call from the appointees and I asked point blank, "Will you vote to try to remove the new CEO?" And I could not get that commitment. That's extremely troubling to me because if you can't make that commitment, that means you may go to try to remove a very competent, willing, and able new CEO that we all support."
> — Ald. Anthony Beale (9th Ward), City Council, Sept. 23, 2026

Video: [Ald. Anthony Beale moves to defer the CHA appointments](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/5F86622E-F485-F111-AB0E-001DD80ED7AA?t=4:26:10-4:27:40)

The Clerk's record lists the deferral as made at the request of Beale, Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st Ward), Ald. Marty Quinn (13th Ward), Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) and Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward). Sigcho-López objected that the CEO question had been raised and discussed in committee; the chair ruled there would be no debate on a deferral.

## What did alderpersons say on Oct. 14?

Under the Council's Rule 41, Sigcho-López filed notice to call both items for a vote at the Oct. 14 meeting and moved Westbrook's appointment by roll call. Beale was the only member to speak.

> "And when you look at the mad dash to fill these appointments, it should really cause pause with all of us, because we've seen appointments be open for over a year, some a year and a half."
> — Ald. Anthony Beale (9th Ward), City Council, Oct. 14, 2026

He said he had heard directly that the goal was to change the board's majority.

> "And so I'm asking each and every one of you not to vote in favor of these new commissioners because they could not answer a point-blank question on if they were being put in place to get rid of the CEO of CHA."
> — Ald. Anthony Beale (9th Ward), City Council, Oct. 14, 2026

Video: [Ald. Anthony Beale urges a no vote on the CHA appointments](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/39FE6EE4-2FBC-F111-AAAE-001DD80B58E5?t=4:29:42-4:31:30)

No one rose to defend the appointees. Neither Westbrook nor Bartlett was discussed by name beyond the motions.

## How did the vote go?

The Clerk's record of the Westbrook vote shows 16 yes: Ald. Lamont Robinson, Desmon Yancy, William Hall, Jessica Fuentes, Angela Clay, Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, Byron Sigcho-López, Matthew Martin, Michael Rodriguez, Gregory Mitchell, Jason Ervin, Chris Taliaferro, Daniel La Spata, Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez, Anthony Quezada and Walter Burnett. Twenty-nine voted no. Five did not vote: Ald. Ruth Cruz, Jeanette Taylor, Nicholas Sposato, David Moore and Maria Hadden. The count announced on the floor was 16 to 30; the Clerk's posted record has it at 16 to 29.

How each ward voted: [SA2026-0027373](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/SA2026-0027373-appointment-ramona-westbrook-commissioner-chicago-housing)

When Sigcho-López then called Bartlett's appointment, Beale moved to apply the same roll call and the same motion to reconsider, and no one objected. The Clerk's record shows the identical tally.

How each ward voted: [SA2026-0027382](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/SA2026-0027382-appointment-john-bartlett-commissioner-chicago-housing)

Motions to reconsider both votes failed. The Clerk lists each appointment as failed to pass.

## What it means on your block

- **If you live in CHA housing or hold a voucher,** the board that oversees the agency keeps its current makeup. The two seats the mayor tried to fill, whose previous holders' terms had expired, stay as they were.
- **The fight was about the CEO, not the nominees' resumes.** Beale's objection, raised on both days, was that the appointees would not commit to keeping the CHA's chief executive. Nothing in the record contradicts his account of the phone call, and nothing in it confirms the plan he described.
- **A new set of names would start over** in the Committee on Housing and Real Estate, which meets in public and takes comment.


## Legislation in this story

- [Appointment of Ramona Westbrook as Commissioner of Chicago Housing Authority](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/SA2026-0027373-appointment-ramona-westbrook-commissioner-chicago-housing) (SA2026-0027373)
- [Appointment of John Bartlett as Commissioner of Chicago Housing Authority](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/SA2026-0027382-appointment-john-bartlett-commissioner-chicago-housing) (SA2026-0027382)

## Sources

1. City Clerk: [SA2026-0027373: Appointment of Ramona Westbrook as Commissioner of Chicago Housing Authority](https://chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Matter/?matterId=8B3E169E-F781-F111-AB0E-001DD8015587)
2. City Clerk: [SA2026-0027373, Legislation: SA2026-0027373 Substitute Appointment.pdf](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/7e21043c-edf6-441f-8d41-2e1b508b5016.pdf)
3. City Clerk: [SA2026-0027373, Legislation: A2026-0027373 (rev).pdf](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/f6ff4af1-92cd-4f19-adc6-a19c98808874.pdf)
4. City Clerk: [SA2026-0027382: Appointment of John Bartlett as Commissioner of Chicago Housing Authority](https://chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Matter/?matterId=9F0FBF29-FB81-F111-AB0E-001DD8015587)
5. City Clerk: [SA2026-0027382, Legislation: SA2026-0027382 Substitute Appointment.pdf](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/307b00d3-3e57-4a27-9522-e35d4804490a.pdf)
6. City Clerk: [SA2026-0027382, Legislation: A2026-0027382 (rev).pdf](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/f23ff807-63aa-426d-afe4-6e43ccb1c565.pdf)
7. City of Chicago: [City Council, Oct 14, 2026: meeting video](https://vimeo.com/1235564993)
8. City Clerk: [City Council, Oct 14, 2026: Notice](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachmentspublic/5dc2983c-30bc-f111-aaae-001dd803894a.pdf)
9. City Clerk: [City Council, Oct 14, 2026: Agenda](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachmentspublic/7ad74e3d-811e-4504-93a7-a7d70d4cff3b.pdf)
10. City of Chicago: [City Council, Sep 23, 2026: meeting video](https://vimeo.com/1229341127)
11. City Clerk: [City Council, Sep 23, 2026: Notice](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachmentspublic/0453fb95-f485-f111-ab0e-001dd8036800.pdf)
12. City Clerk: [City Council, Sep 23, 2026: Agenda](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachmentspublic/3c45558c-4276-444e-8e33-940aedd27693.pdf)
13. Chicago Politics: [SA2026-0027373: votes, timeline and summary](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/SA2026-0027373-appointment-ramona-westbrook-commissioner-chicago-housing)
14. Chicago Politics: [SA2026-0027382: votes, timeline and summary](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/SA2026-0027382-appointment-john-bartlett-commissioner-chicago-housing)
15. Chicago Politics: [City Council, Oct 14, 2026: transcript](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/1235564993.txt)
16. Chicago Politics: [City Council, Sep 23, 2026: transcript](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/1229341127.txt)
17. City of Chicago: [Neighborhood and community area boundaries (Chicago Data Portal)](https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/y6yq-dbs2)

On the map: [Pilsen](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/pilsen), [Little Village](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/little-village), [Little Italy, UIC](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/little-italy-uic), [25th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/25)

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/city-council-rejects-cha-board-appointments-westbrook-bartlett · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt