Monica Williams is set to be appointed to the SHA board by Mayor Sharon Owens. Pictured here is Pioneer Homes. Credit: Mike Greenlar | Central Current

Mayor Sharon Owens is set to appoint ally Monica Williams to the Syracuse Housing Authority’s board of commissioners.

Williams will replace Christopher Montgomery, a longstanding board member and the vice chair, who stepped down from his role on Monday.

Montgomery resigned a year before his term was set to expire, leaving behind a vacant seat. The board is set to vote on a new vice chair at their Thursday meeting.

Owens has repeatedly called for a change in leadership atop SHA, which would require firing Executive Director William Simmons amid the redevelopment of public housing on the Southside. The SHA board has seven commissioners with five-year terms. Firing Simmons would require a majority of the board’s seven members to vote for his removal. 

Williams, who served as a Democratic county legislator for the 16th District between 2007 and 2019, was picked by County Executive Ryan McMahon to serve as Onondaga County’s Chief Diversity Officer in 2020. Williams made $108,021 in her role in 2025, according to SeeThrough NY data. 

“Her insight, professionalism, and collaborative approach will ensure that residents are heard and involved in the decisions that affect their families and their community,” Owens said in a statement issued by the city about Williams’ appointment.

Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens (center) was flanked by Monica Williams (left) and spokesperson Brooke Schneider (right) on the night Owens won the Democratic mayoral primary. Current SHA board member Rickey Brown is pictured between Owens and Schneider. Credit: Maddi Jane Brown | Central Current

She oversees the county divisions including the Commission on Human Rights, Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises Utilization and the Justice Center Oversight Committee.

Williams also worked as a staffing coordinator at a Cicero nursing home called Cottages at Garden Grove for about 30 years as well as an administrative organizer for 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East for over a decade. 

A Fowler High School graduate, Williams serves on the boards of Syracuse Community Connections and Onondaga County Health Advisory Board. 

Williams, 61, was the president of the Central New York SPCA board. She resigned in January this year alongside seven other commissioners following employee walkouts and protests. Nearly a dozen employees and volunteers called for a change in leadership earlier this year, syracuse.com reported. 

Williams’ appointment to the SHA board may help mark another step toward Owens’ vision to oust Simmons. SHA, which is in charge of the $1 billion redevelopment of public housing on the city’s Southside, has been plagued by conflict since last year. 

Former Mayor Ben Walsh who stopped short of calling for Simmons’ removal declared his lack of confidence in Simmons’ leadership last year. He appointed three new board members before he left office. 

Owens, a vocal critic of Simmons, has repeatedly said that a change in leadership is crucial for the redevelopment project. 

This February, Simmons accused SHA Board Chair Ryan Benz of a potential conflict of interest regarding the redevelopment of public housing on the Southside. Simmons sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, alleging that Benz’s conflict of interest as a developer lies in partnering with businesses that contract with SHA and are specifically involved with the project, according to a HUD letter that Benz read at the February board meeting. 

Benz, who was not informed of the potential conflict of interest by Simmons before he was notified by HUD, repeatedly denied any such conflicts. Commissioner Patricia McBride, also the city’s clerk, insinuated that Benz pushed for SHA and its developer, the Missouri-based McCormack Baron Salazar, to use Hueber Breuer Construction as general contractor. 

However, emails obtained by Central Current through a public records request appeared to undercut McBride’s allegations. It showed that Hueber Breuer was hired by SHA’s development partner in April 2024 — nearly 11 months before Walsh appointed Benz to the board.

SHA counsel Brad Hunt sent a letter to HUD in March clearing Benz of any such conflicts of interest. 

In Benz’s absence, Montgomery had been moderating the board discussions about the redevelopment of public housing on the Southside.

Update: Central Current originally reported Monica Williams’ appointment to the Syracuse Housing Authority board and attributed the information to multiple sources with knowledge of the appointment. The story has been updated to reflect the formal announcement of Williams’ appointment by city officials and now includes portions of a statement from Mayor Sharon Owens.

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Debadrita Sur is a multimedia journalist and Report for America corps member who reports on the I-81 project and public housing for Central Current. In 2023, Sur graduated with a master’s degree in journalism...