Christopher Montgomery, the vice chair of the Syracuse Housing Authority board, stepped down from the board Monday. He's leaving the board one year before his term ends. Montgomery is pictured at a Syracuse Housing Authority meeting Feb. 19, 2026. Credit: Michelle Gabel | Central Current

Syracuse Housing Authority Board Vice Chair Christopher Montgomery resigned Monday from the board, a year before his term was set to expire. 

His resignation paves the way for Mayor Sharon Owens to appoint another member to SHA’s board. Owens has repeatedly called for SHA Executive Director William Simmons’ ousting — an act only the board of SHA could carry out. 

Owens has yet to name a successor for Montgomery, though spokesperson Sol Muñoz told Central Current she expects to name a candidate within the week. The SHA board has seven commissioners with five-year terms. Board members are volunteers. Firing Simmons would require a majority of the board’s seven members to vote for his removal. 

Montgomery’s resignation comes amid years of turmoil related to the housing authority’s redevelopment of public housing on the Southside. 

He has served on SHA’s board as a commissioner since 2017. Montgomery was appointed the board chair in 2019 and served as the chairperson for six years. Subsequently he served as the vice chair with former Board Chair Calvin Corriders Sr. and SHA Board Chair Ryan Benz. 

“It has been an honor to serve on the Housing Authority Board, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have supported important work that directly impacted residents,” Montgomery said in a joint statement released by the city. 

Montgomery will now serve on the City Planning Commission board, a body that advises the Common Council and other boards on planning and development projects and oversees zoning regulations, Owens said in a press release.

“This new role will allow Chris to continue his public service in a purposeful and impactful way for our entire City,” Owens said in a press release on Monday. 

Montgomery currently serves as the director of business affairs at the Syracuse Educational Opportunity Center. 

Before he worked at EOC, Montgomery was the Director of Syracuse Build. Launched in 2020 by former Mayor Ben Walsh, the program ensured employment opportunities for historically marginalized Syracuse residents. The program helped women, people of color and residents living in the shadow of the Interstate 81 viaduct by providing access to training and apprenticeship programs, which allowed them to enter the construction industry workforce. 

Montgomery has worked at Catholic Charities of Onondaga County in their relocation services before he joined as the immigration and agriculture liaison for the U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei from 2013 to 2015, according to his LinkedIn.. Montgomery previously ran for a seat on the Syracuse Common Council. He lost in the Democratic primary to LaToya Allen, who eventually went on to serve as councilor for the 4th District. 

Last year, the disagreements around the redevelopment of public housing came to a head when Walsh expressed concerns about SHA Executive Director William Simmons’ leadership, though the former mayor stopped short of calling for Simmons’ ousting. Then-Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens and former Allyn Family Foundation Executive Director Meg O’Connell said Simmons should be removed from his role. 

Montgomery’s resignation comes six months after Corriders resigned from the board and Benz took over as the chair. 

SHA has been plagued by internal conflict. This February, Simmons accused Benz of having a conflict of interest related to the redevelopment of public housing, which led to a tense exchange between board commissioners during the February board meeting. 

In a letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Simmons specifically alleged 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 recused himself from the February board meeting following HUD’s recommendation but Commissioner Patricia McBride insinuated that the board chair 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, a company that is potentially at the center of the controversy, 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.

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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...