Afternoon Briefing: Ex-CHA general counsel created ‘toxic work culture,’ staff alleged

Good afternoon, Chicago.

Chicago Housing Authority staff accused CHA’s former general counsel Ellen Harris of creating a “hostile” and “toxic” work environment leading up to her resignation in August 2024, according to public records obtained by the Tribune.

CHA’s head of human resources said in a July 2024 memo to former CHA CEO Tracey Scott that his office and the Office of the Inspector General had received complaints over a 12- to 18-month period about Harris’ “leadership and management style.”

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Ald. Matt Martin, 47th, asks a question of Inspector General Deborah Witzburg at a City Council budget hearing at City Hall on Nov. 9, 2024. (Tess Crowley/Chicago Tribune)

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