Here's an early Christmas gift for Chicago housing advocates: Dr. Leon Finney Jr., president of the clouted Woodlawn Organization, has reportedly resigned from the influential Plan Commission, which sets development policy across the city.

Finney, if you'll recall, manages several affordable housing buildings that consistently flaunt building code regulations. A Chicago Reporter investigation, which had its seeds at our site, showed that Finney's group received millions in contracts while Daley administration officials simultaneously took him to court for building violations like rat infestations, broken plumbing, and leaking roofs. The cause of his resignation is unknown, but it's likely connected to the retirement of his ally Mayor Richard Daley.

An official with Carol Moseley Braun's campaign announced that Finney was supporting her bid at the former U.S. senator's mayoral launch in late November.