Brandon Johnson probably doesn't realize how lucky he is
The quantum computing project will be his saving grace IF
Mayor Brandon Johnson seems to have done just about everything in his power to confirm what detractors say about him being a one-term mayor. In 18 months, he has reversed himself on most of his campaign pledges. Johnson has yet to deliver any city-wide benefits. And failed to muster even one city council vote for this budget that included a $300 million property tax increase.
Despite operating with the lowest approval of any mayor in recent memory, Johnson can see his fate altered due to something in which he played no role; but will be a tremendous beneficiary of.
The former Cook County Commissioner can possibly coast into a second term if he learns how to get out of his own way. To date, Johnson has pushed his department heads and top appointees aside to make sure his is the main representative at every news conference and most public event. Besides department heads Johnson also has picked a vice mayor, However, we rarely see him as a substitute for the mayor, which was supposed to be the plan.
To retain his fifth-floor office, the mayor must shift strategies and insist his underlings do more heavy lifting. Simultaneously, his team must speak with one voice- any newsworthy media interactions should be handled exclusively by Johnson’s press secretary.
This strategy, common in most major municipalities, ensures that the administration’s messages don’t get bungled as happened so many times over the last year and one-half; and Johnson had to walk some employees’ comments to reporters.
At the same time, Johnson’s attention, at least 90 percent should be on what can return him to office in 2027. That is none other than the biggest project to come to Chicago in at least a half a century - the PsiQuantum operation planned for the mouth of the Calumet River at the former US Steel site.
At least a half-dozen plans have been proposed for the far Southeast site-none have materialized. Even collectively, those plans pale to the quantum computing projects; namely because none of them, like PsiQuantum have the biggest players in the tech industry involved. Nor did they have verbal and financial commitments from the State of Illinois. The fact this will be the first quantum operation of its size in the U.S adds to the importance to the state’s as well as Chicago’s future. The Palo Alto-based company agreed to invest a minimum of $1.09 billion.
The subject of quantum computing is so complex that Johnson’s “Cliff’s Notes” style of addressing elaborate matters must change. The homework he will need to put in will be well worth it once tax dollars from the project start streaming in to make budget deficits a distant memory. Rightfully so or not, Johnson will be able to take credit for the fiscal turnaround., and the 150 estimated early jobs that built into PsiQuantum- jobs that never have been available in the city, or the state. The mayor’s ongoing challenge will be to distribute bite-size easy-to-understand information regarding exactly what is happening. The University of Chicago, one of the principals involved provided details what’s involved. click here to get those details.
Illinois’ Gov. JB Pritzker is a driving force behind the local quantum computing drive. The State of Illinois has committed more than $500 million to the early stages of the site.
The governor noted “We’re leading the charge with this first-of-its-kind quantum park to unite stakeholders, experts, and future generations of quantum leaders,” Pritzker said in the statement. “PsiQuantum choosing Chicago cements our status as a global hub for quantum computing.
PsiQuantum is aiming to build the first U.S.-based, utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer; it will construct a 300,000-square-foot Quantum Computer Operations Center on the long-empty industrial site near the mouth of the Calumet River. That campus, known as the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, will also include the multimillion-dollar Illinois-DARPA Quantum Proving Ground that was announced July 16.
PsiQuantum is a corporate partner of the Chicago Quantum Exchange, a hub that connects leading universities, national labs, and industry partners to advance quantum technology and is based at the University of Chicago.
An operation of this scope and size ultimately attracts scientists, medical researchers and top computer analysts from around the globe. Can Johnson, for political gain, handle it properly. To date he has relied on his own OJT rather than recruiting experts. Adhering to that past practice could magnify earlier shortcomings.