Pittsburgh’s Housing Authority board unanimously approved hiring a new executive director Thursday, despite an ongoing ethics investigation involving her in Oregon.
Ivory N. Mathews will take the helm Oct. 1, the day after outgoing Executive Director Caster D. Binion retires. He has led the agency since 2012.
“We’re all very confident in Ivory Mathews’ ability to take the reins here and take the next step,” board chair Wasi Mohamed said after the vote.
Mathews could not immediately be reached for comment.
Board members did not ask questions or hold discussion prior to the vote. There was no mention during Thursday’s meeting of the probe in Oregon.
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission in August voted to investigate Mathews, who previously led Home Forward, a housing authority serving Multnomah County, Ore.
Online records show the investigation revolves around allegations she used her position with an Oregon housing authority “to obtain financial benefit on travel and lodging, which is inconsistent with Home Forward’s travel policy.” The commission’s investigator, Silas Patterson, further indicated Mathews may have faced a conflict of interest when she authorized her own travel.
Muhamed told reporters the probe is expected to conclude within six months.
The Pittsburgh housing authority’s board of commissioners hired executive search firm Gans, Gans & Associates to assist in selecting qualified candidates. The firm identified four candidates, who were interviewed by board members.
The housing authority’s board determines who will serve as the agency’s executive director.
Board members were aware of the ongoing ethics investigation when they interviewed Mathews, Mohamed said.
“I know it’s ongoing, so I don’t want to comment too much on it,” he said of the probe. “We’re confident it’s not going to be a distraction.”
When asked what the board would do if the investigation found Mathews guilty of ethics violations, he replied, “You can come talk to us then.”
Mohamed told reporters after Thursday’s meeting that Mathews would not self-approve any travel expenses while working with Pittsburgh’s housing authority, adding the HACP has “a lot of internal checks and balances.”
“We’re extremely confident this is a home-run decision, a home-run hire,” he said, adding it is “extremely difficult” to find a candidate ready to hit the ground running in such a position. Mohamed believes Mathews’ experience will allow her to be ready to get to work on day one.
According to the housing authority, the board will negotiate Mathews’ salary.
Mathews will oversee a housing authority whose budget tops $255 million next year.
Mathews resigned from Housing Forward on May 1, according to a statement released by the Oregon housing authority. She had led the entity for more than four years.
In a news release Thursday from Pennsylvania United, a grassroots organization advocating for working class families throughout the state, elected officials and housing advocates celebrated Mathews’ selection as the first woman to lead the city’s housing authority.
Mathews has more than 30 years of public housing leadership, Pennsylvania United’s news release said.
“The importance of a strong housing authority cannot be overstated: The agency is responsible for providing habitability, transparency and keeping Pittsburgh home for nearly 18,000 tenants across the city,” Maddy McGrady, co-chair of the Pittsburgh Housing Justice Table, said in a statement. “New leadership is a great opportunity to ensure our communities are a guiding voice in the direction of the housing authority and we look forward to working with Ivory Mathews to increase the supply of publicly owned, operated (and) financed units that our city, and most importantly, our public housing tenants deserve.”
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, in a statement said she was confident Mathews could provide “steady, accountable leadership,” even as the federal administration creates “new uncertainty for families who depend on our housing institutions.”
“Public housing works best when residents are not an afterthought but at the center of every decision,” Lee said. “Ivory Mathews understands that. She brings years of experience leading complex housing systems while staying grounded in the needs and voices of tenants.”
Binion concluded Thursday’s meeting by thanking a litany of housing authority staffers, as well as housing activists and other partners.
“At the end of the day, the statement I have to ask myself: Did I make an impact?” Binion said.
A room of housing authority staffers answered his query with a standing ovation.