Pittsburgh council approves Gainey's picks for Housing Authority board

Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved Mayor Ed Gainey’s nominees for the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh board.

Jala Rucker, now the board’s vice chair, will serve an additional term.

Joining her are newcomers Wasi Mohamed, who serves as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale; Charlise Smith, who founded WAVE, a Pittsburgh-based housing advocacy organization; and Tammy Thompson, president and CEO of Catapult Greater Pittsburgh, a local advocacy group that aims to help systematically disenfranchised populations.

The new members will serve on the seven-member board through March 2029.

Rucker, Mohamed, Smith and Thompson earlier this month joined Gainey for a walking tour of the city’s Manchester neighborhood, pointing out different types of affordable housing throughout the community.

Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, abstained from voting on Thompson’s appointment. Her colleagues all supported the nomination, and the other appointees were approved unanimously.

Kail-Smith said she abstained because she feared Thompson might run into conflicts of interest as a board member if business involving her group came up for a vote.

Thompson’s organization has received funding from Pittsburgh, though Thompson last week said her organization was “not currently” using city money.

Kail-Smith and Councilman Bob Charland, D-South Side, last week expressed concern that even with the newest appointments, the authority’s board would lack representation from their districts.

“There’s a common feeling neighborhoods from the south are forgotten,” Charland said. “This is another example of this.”

Appointees told council they were committed to representing all portions of the city. Mohamed supported Kail-Smith’s suggestion of hosting community meetings in areas that may feel unrepresented by the board.

The appointees also told council they hoped to improve the authority’s efficiency, better engage with tenants and advocate for affordable housing despite the looming threat of federal cuts from President Donald Trump’s administration.

The authority houses more than 18,000 Pittsburghers and manages about 2,200 public housing units.