Now, two bills are before the General Assembly that would change that by giving the Mayor's Office control over the Housing Authority.
In a Senate version, the size of PHA's board would increase from five to nine, with the mayor appointing every commissioner.
A House bill would make the same changes to the board size but has another provision that would affect all housing authorities in Pennsylvania.
The Republican-sponsored bill, introduced by State Rep. Mike Tobash of Schuylkill County, would close a patronage loophole for housing authorities. Employees would have to abide by the merit rules spelled out by the state Civil Service Commission.
Last Wednesday, Nutter went to Harrisburg to sell the idea of reforming PHA to local lawmakers but got a chilly reception from Philadelphia's House Democrats.
State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas, the Democratic chair of the Urban Affairs Committee, said he felt "blindsided" by the Tobash bill, which has no cosponsors from Philadelphia.
While Thomas supports the idea of expanding PHA's board and linking the state-chartered agency more closely to the city, the Mayor's Office should not have the sole power to appoint all nine commissioners, he said. Thomas plans to introduce his own bill this week.
"I support the mayor having some control, but the question is whether the mayor should have total control," Thomas said.
Thomas said board appointments should be split, with the mayor naming five and the remaining four slots selected by either residents, City Council, or other stakeholders.
Mark McDonald, a spokesman for Nutter, said the mayor and Thomas were "on the same page" in agreeing that accountability for PHA should reside in the office of the mayor.
"We're for the concept, and how it gets done, that's another matter," McDonald said. "This is the beginning of the process, not an end."
