CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has had a pretty bad week to put it lightly. With just 6 months left until the Democratic National Convention comes to Chicago, national Democrats should have big questions about the city’s readiness to be the focus of the free world if this week is any indication.
“This past week is representative of what we’ve come to expect from Illinois Democrats,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “The governor calls for a billion dollars in tax hikes to pay for the migrant crisis he helped create, while the mayor of the state’s largest city can’t stop getting in his own way.”
Mayor Johnson’s No Good, Very Bad Week:
Crain’s Chicago Business: The migrant crisis opens a rift between the mayor and would-be allies
Fox News: Chicago Mayor Johnson abruptly ends meeting with newspaper after refusing to speak on the record
The Sun-Times’ report cited a “bizarre news conference” Johnson held last week when he was bombarded with questions about his plans to end the city’s ShotSpotter contract and his refusal to commit $70 million to address the city’s migrant crisis. The paper said he dodged yes-or-no questions and offered non-answers.
Chicago Sun-Times: Mayor Brandon Johnson, his message, and the media: Time for a course correction before public loses faith
After the combative Lori Lightfoot, Johnson seemed like a candidate for Mr. Congeniality. But Johnson’s communication missteps appear to have exhausted the bank of goodwill with the reporters who cover him – and, in turn, has kept the public in the dark about what his administration is doing.
Washington Examiner: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson asks to add $1.25 billion to city’s massive debt
Chicago has the second-highest debt per taxpayer in the U.S. Chicago also has the highest amount of unfunded pension benefits totaling more than $33.7 million. Under Johnson’s proposed plan, the city plans to use the money from the expiring TIFs to pay back the accumulated $2.4 billion debt by 2061.
In December, Johnson came under fire for allocating $95 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds toward the migrant crisis. According to city, county, and state officials, nearly $321 million is needed through the end of the year to address the issue. Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) accused Johnson of not following through on his commitment to cover $70 million of the burden. State and county officials agreed to cover the remaining $250 million.
NBC Chicago: Newly obtained records shed light on cost of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s trip to Los Angeles
Records show Mayor Brandon Johnson traveled to Los Angeles earlier this month with seven city employees – including four members of his security detail – at a cost to the taxpayers of nearly $8,000, though that figure may be higher given the heavy redactions of the documents obtained.
Johnson went to Los Angeles on Feb. 2 for a conference of the African American Mayors Association, then stayed to attend the Grammy Awards the evening of Feb. 4, according to his schedule.
Chicago Tribune: Editorial: ShotSpotter disaster only the latest example of mayoral incompetence
But Hamlet on the fifth floor tried at the eleventh hour to appease both his police chief and his base (and maybe also a worried Gov. J.B. Pritzker whose national reputation rides on a successful DNC). The only problem is Johnson forgot to let ShotSpotter’s owner in on his plans before making them public. Surprise! A day later, news leaked that SoundThinking told City Hall it wouldn’t agree to the short-term extension.
In as high-profile a situation as this, what competent mayor would announce there will be a contract extension with a vendor without closing a deal with the vendor first? It appears City Hall just assumed SoundThinking would be OK with continuing for another several months even though the company had no contractual obligation to do so.
Chicago Sun-Times: Mayor Johnson spends $8.6 million on nine-month ShotSpotter deal – more than entire past year’s cost
