Chicago Housing Authority Comm. Matthew Brewer is pictured. [Campaign Instagram account]

Matthew Brewer, the former interim executive and former chair of the Chicago Housing Authority’s (CHA) Board of Commissioners, is one of many seeking to win the city’s mayor’s race next February.

Brewer has served on the CHA board since 2013 and became vice chair in 2021. He became its operating chairperson last September when Angela Hurlock stepped down from the interim CEO role. After the CHA board voted 7-2 to hire CEO Keith Pettigrew in the spring, Mayor Brandon Johnson removed Brewer from the chair role, swapping him out for Jawanza Malone, one of the dissenting votes.  

The mayor alleged at the time that Brewer’s decision to move forward with the hiring of a new CEO flew in the face of open meetings law and transparency rules, according to multiple reports. 

Nearly three months later, Brewer announced his candidacy in a video.

“At the CHA, I've had a front-row seat to see the dysfunction coming out of City Hall,” Brewer says in his ad. “I'm running for mayor because for too long we've been presented with a false choice about Chicago's future.”

In that same campaign announcement video, Brewer speaks about how his platform aims to create victories for all stakeholders.

“We can invest in our people without sacrificing our competitive edge,” Brewer said in his campaign announcement video. “We can be a city that's affordable to live and a great place to do business. A city that thinks boldly about issues like housing, education and public transit. A city of opportunity for everyone.”

Brewer is a partner at the law firm Bartlit Beck, a co-owner of The Wiener’s Circle and the founder of a nonprofit leadership development program called Future Leaders of Chicago, or floChicago. He also helped open and owns Grasshopper Club, the city’s first Black-owned cannabis dispensary.

As a native South Sider, Brewer said his story is “living proof that where a pin drops on a map doesn't have to determine where you end up.” 

Brewer’s campaign committee, created near the end of June, reported receiving $106,087 between June 25-30. He ended the second quarter of the year with over $92,720 on hand after spending $13,363. 

Since July 1, Brewer’s campaign has reported at least $14,500 in large contributions worth $1,000 or more.

Nomination petition circulation for the Chicago mayor’s race began Tuesday, and candidates will file for office this October. The election is Feb. 23, 2027. Johnson has yet to announce a run for reelection.