Brandon should borrow from Rahm's playbook
It's time for the mayor to own his series of goof ups
Approximately eight years ago, in what some believe was a Hail Mary approach to his re-election bid, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel appeared in his television commercial absent his usual sartorial splendor and was decked out in an open collar shirt and sweater. As non-Rahm as his attire was, the content of the commercial was more shocking. The first-term mayor opted for a soft-spoken conciliatory tone asking voters to give him another chance. Untile that point, his words and demeanor could be described as brash.
However, on this March day when shooting the commercial, he stared into the camera and told viewers “ They say your greatest strength can be your greatest weakness. I am living proof of that. I can rub people the wrong way, or talk when I should listen. I own that.” In that same spot, the former chief of staff to President Barack Obama acknowledged “I am not always going to get it right.”
Those words should serve as a template for Mayor Brandon Johnson and the string of gargantuan mis-steps he continues to take jeopardizing his ambitious yet unrealistic plan for his administration.
It’s not likely he will heed those words, much less adopt them. From his behavior the first seven months in office, he assuredly is much more inclined to adapt the persona of another one of his predecessors - Richard J. Daley. Daley, who lorded over Chicago for 22 years was both feared and respected; and had a reputation for getting things done.
Johnson seems to be confusing himself with one of Daley’s memorable quotes. When a reporter asked Hizzoner if he was considering running for governor in one of the 1960s race, the old man snarled “why would I want to be governor? I am mayor of Chicago.”
Johnson might want to take note that since then the sway of Chicago’s mayors has lost a great deal of luster, while the men who have been running the state from Springfield loom larger over Chicago.
Currently, Johnson, a first-term mayor is seeing his authority and image diminsh rapidly- almost daily.
In only a half year, the former county commissioner has been able to bungle the migrnt issue to the tune of more than $100 million, have a city council ally question his preparedness to serve, create a bigger deficit for future budgets, and pay a huge price for publicly challenging the governor, and crow about outsmarting him; only to have the governor show Johnson what true political power is.
Johnson had his team craft a budget deliberately leaving a gaping $150-million hole for migrants issues and proclaiming the state will step in and back fill the hole. That could be wishful thinking if not for the fact the governor announced there was no more money coming to Chicago for asylum seekers.
Johnson defied community opposition and the governor’s admonishment and ordered construction on a base camp of winterized tents at 38th Street and California Avenue. The work proceeded despite a city-funded environmental impact study noted the site which had historically be used for refining zinc was still contaminated.
Pritzker pulled a subtle and savvy political move by allowing the work to proceed for a couple of days before pulling the plug on the site noting that the company the city hired hadn’t tested the site as thoroughly as the state required.
Gov. JB Pritizer ordered the State Envionmental Protection Agency to re-test the soil and the conclusion was it is not suitable for human occupation. Most likely had Johnson quietly gone to Pritzker when the budget was being developed and explained the need for the $150 million, rather than attempt to publicly force the governor into a position he said he was against; the two might have been able to work out something saving Johnson from public embarrassment.
Besides facing growing opposition to each aspect of his alleged plan for dealing with asylum-seekers, ranging from some of the migrants themselves to residents in several Black communities to Pritzker. This is on top of promised pay raises for the members of the Chicago Police Department-raises budget and financial analysts caution will result in a gaping hole in the next budget. Johnson used a number of one-time measures to cover the $538 million shortfall for the current budget. Those steps will not be available in the future and property tax increases might be the only way to a true balanced budget. The main plank in his campaign platform was not to raise property tax.
Johnson also lost an internal battle with Pritzker on who would be the lead for next year’s Democratic National Convention when it comes to Chicago. Johnson doesn’t seem to want to acquiesce that the convention, bringing Dem loyalists from across the country to Chicago is intended to be far more of a showcase for Pritzker than for Johnson, who willing likely make it his mission to get in front of every TV news camera at the United Center- center stage for convention activities.
He is also missing the value of letting Pritzker shine during that time given the governor’s name is still being whispered as a possible contender for the Democratic nomination for POTUS. There are rumblings and outright promises from some so-called activists that they will wreak havoc next August when the convention is here.
That definitely would widen the chasm between Johnson and the governor , and seriously jeopardize the mayor’s re-election bid. If Johnson isn’t hearing it already, he soon will get wind that a formidable challenger is already lining up his campaign ducks to take on Johnson in 2027. One of the last things a rookie mayor needs is to hear footsteps coming for his job. Looking over one’s should leads to disasters in city government.
A couple of months after his election Johnson offered a resounding yes when asked if he would run a second term. A politically savvy mayor would have demurred with it is too early for such a declaration. If Johnson was answering honestly, that ambition doesn’t qualify as a pipe dream without the support of the home state governor.
A burgeoning group of Black “activists” are bundling Johnson, the migrant issue and the convention promising they will disrupt the confab unless more is done immediately or sooner for Black Chicagoans in terms of jobs and housing. As much as a successful convention can lift the top Dem in the state; one filled with chaos and dissent will reflect poorly more so on the hometown mayor. Mayor Richard J. Daley’s name is broadly associated with the protests and problems at the 1968 Democratic convention here while there is hardly a mention of Samuel L. Shapiro who was serving as governor then.
This space has been used several times to insist the mayor reach beyond his cronies in the unions, and advisers who have no more experience in municipal government than he does. Members of the academic, corporate, research and small businesses worlds undoubtedly would bring solutions to the dilemma he is facing, but Johnson’s hubris won’t allow him to admit he is failing miserably. The mayor and members of his clan push the refrain he just needs more time to right the city’s ship. It is tough to tell whether they actually believe that, or they are oblivious to the reality that failing to adequately address a problem the larger it festers.
Simultaneously, Johnson is tinkering with alienating local news outlets. If it wasn’t such a petty move, it would be difficult to call his media game anything but surreptitious.
Johnson promised television and radio stations, as well as the daily print newspapers that his administration would release an environmental study about land at 38th Street and California Avenue. The commitment was to deliver it on Friday; however it was only released at the end of the day; and then after a television newsroom filed a Freedom of Information Act request. State of Illinois officials also were awaiting the report.
As had been charged by neighbors of the site, it was contaminated with high levels of toxins that were dangerous to the health of humans-particularly pregnant women. It has never been zoned for residential use, but always for heavy manufacturing-obviously a reality Team Johnson chose to ignore. The Johnson Administration had previously claimed it nullified the problem by removing some contaminated dirt and replacing it with new top soil, and beds of crushed gravel.
Anyone who has watched Johnson closely since he took office is likely to agree it would benefit him to start a listening tour in any site where a base camp is being considered; however, he is far more inclined to repeat Emanuel’s mis-step and continue to do more talking than listening.
As always, thorough, inciteful and well written, the DePriest Digest keeps me informed on the city of my birth!