Number
R13635
Version
Original
Reference
Sponsor
The Chair
Title
Resolution approving the creation of an Executive Search Committee by the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee to assist with the search for a permanent Secretary-Executive Director
Analysis
Body
WHEREAS, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) is a public body, corporate and politic, duly created, organized and existing under the provisions of Wisconsin State Statutes 66.1201; and
WHEREAS, the mission of HACM as a public housing authority is to foster strong, resilient and inclusive communities by providing a continuum of high-quality housing options that support self-sufficiency, good quality of life, and the opportunity to thrive; and
WHEREAS, HACM’s Board of Commissioners (Board) has the sole authority over the selection and oversight of HACM’s Secretary-Executive Director; and
WHEREAS, HACM’s prior Secretary-Executive Director, Willie L. Hines, Jr., submitted his resignation effective January 1, 2025; and
WHEREAS, Ken Barbeau was appointed Interim Secretary-Executive Director, effective January 2, 2025, until such time as the Board names a new permanent Secretary-Executive Director; and
WHEREAS, HACM has engaged The Organizational Leadership Edge (TOLE) to assist HACM with its search for a permanent Secretary-Executive Director; and
WHEREAS, HACM desires to create an Executive Search Committee comprised of both Board commissioners and individuals with subject-matter expertise from outside HACM in an effort to transparently seek input from various community stakeholders during the process of selecting the permanent Secretary-Executive Director; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Board establishes a temporary committee named the “Executive Search Committee” (Committee) that shall meet from time to time as determined at the call of the Board Chairperson until such time as the permanent Secretary-Executive Director is approved by the Board solely for the purposes contained herein; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Committee shall consist of up to seven members, including the following six current members: Board Chairperson Charlotte Hayslett, Board Vice Chairperson Karen Gotzler; Michelle Bryant; Attorney Kimberly Hurtado; HACM resident Betty Newton; and Pastor Willie Davis; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED; at all meetings of the Committee, a majority of members of the full Committee shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of transacting business; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED; The Chairperson of the Board shall also be the Chairperson of the Committee and shall preside at all meetings of the Committee. Prior to each meeting of the Committee, the Chairperson shall submit to HACM staff all agenda items that the Chairperson may consider proper concerning the business, affairs, and policies of the Committee for discussion at such upcoming meeting; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED; The Vice-Chairperson of the Board shall perform the duties of the Chairperson of the Committee in the event the Chairperson is unavailable at the Committee; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED; the Committee shall assist the Board and TOLE in searching for the permanent Secretary-Executive Director by bringing their professionalism, leadership, experience in Milwaukee, and knowledge of the challenges and opportunities of low-income housing along with objectivity, transparency, fairness, and, where required, confidentiality, to provide input on the process and criteria to be used to select the permanent Secretary-Executive Director including but not limited to the following: evaluating the existing Secretary-Executive Director position description; engaging and getting feedback from stakeholders; providing input on candidate outreach efforts; assisting TOLE to create weighted factors used to review applicants for the position; and providing input to TOLE on any public listening sessions or town hall events to allow for broader public input into the search, and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED; the Committee shall have no authority and shall not be authorized to act on behalf of the Board beyond the authority expressly granted herein and under no circumstances shall the Committee have final decision-making over the selection of the permanent Secretary-Executive Director as such authority shall rest solely with the Board; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED; all business transacted by the Committee shall be carried on by the adoption of an appropriate resolution. Voting on all resolutions coming before the Committee, having been properly introduced, moved for adoption, and duly seconded, shall be by roll call. Matters requiring action without the adoption of a resolution shall, after motion duly made and seconded, be deemed carried by a voice vote. All resolutions, motions or other items shall be entered upon the minutes of the Committee. An electronic record shall satisfy the requirement for recording the roll call of resolutions and voice vote matters, per the laws of the State of Wisconsin. If a member of the Committee believes that any reason exists to recuse themselves from consideration or voting on any matter of business before the Committee, such as to comply with any provision of federal, state, or local law or for any real or perceived conflicts of interest that exist or may exist, that person shall promptly disclose the nature of that need to the Chairperson (or, if such person disclosing the recusal is the Chairperson, the Board Vice Chairperson). A member recusing for any reason shall not participate in discussion, deliberation, or voting on the matter from which they are recusing, and will be excluded from quorum for purposes of both meeting and voting on the matter and such recusal shall be noted in the record of the meeting; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED; the Committee shall create minutes for each of its meetings and present those minutes to the Board at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board in order to keep the Board fully informed of the actions of the Committee, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED the Committee shall comply with Wisconsin’s Open Meetings laws, Wis. Stat. §§ 19.81–.98, and any other applicable Federal or State laws, rules, regulations, and court orders. Pursuant to Wisconsin’s Open Meetings laws, all meetings must be properly noticed in advance of meeting and any meeting must be open except where any applicable legal exceptions exist and are properly noticed.
Requestor
Drafter
Housing Management August 29, 2025