It's time for Johnson to stop postponing the inevitable
The mayor should go ahead and announce the property tax increases-there is no way around it
Exactly one month after sitting in the big chair on the Fifth Floor of LaSalle Street, Mayor Brandon Johnson probably has learned several things he didn’t know or realize as Candidate Johnson. Probably, the first among them is a quick smile and good diction only can carry one so far. The other thing he undoubtedly has learned is all of those thoughts he used to have about what he didn’t know about city government are being borne out.
Since taking office, the affable 47-year-old West Side resident has been slapped upside the mayoral head at just about every turn. The latest is his administration put the city on the hook for at least $10 million the mayor said he wasn’t going to spend. Through technology and the lack of focus, the Johnson Administration last week agreed to extend the contract for Chicago’s controversial ShotSpotter technology. Interestingly, Johnson’s senior advisor, Jason Lee is quoted in the Chicago Sun Times as saying the signature was applied to the contract extension through a gaffe in the procurement office. Why would something the mayor doesn’t want be in play for a possible signature? Yes, we know it was an extension former Mayor Lori Lightfoot authorized late last year. However, there has been no explanation given for why it was available currently for any sort of signature
Lee didn’t even offer a mea culpa. He tossed what has become the Team Johnson mantra “that is not how it will be moving forward.” The constant use of that statement has become come laughable. The Administration doesn’t know where it is today, so it is extremely unlikely it has a clue of what things will be like moving forward.
If the Administration had any clue of what things would be like looking forward, it would not have been blindsided at the beginning of the week by the President of the Fraternal Order of Police demanding that his 11,000 members get the same 12-week paternal leave deal the city is trying to put in place for employees of Chicago Public Schools.
The ShotSpotter error, the proposed paternity leave policy, the FOP’s demand, all along with the tens of millions of dollars going into address the needs of asylum-seekers are enlarging the hole in the city’s budget deficit. The federal relief dollars for COVID 19 are drying up. So, where is the money coming from to militate a new financial direction? Property tax increase is the only way.
Johnson can’t renege on the plan to the Chicago Teachers Union for the paternity leave plan, nor can he write SoundThinking, Inc., owners of ShotSpotter saying “my bad, and we are not going to spend the money the contract promises.” When Johnson took office, the kindest thing anyone could say about the city budget was it is not as bad as it used to be. In the world of Poker, the consensus would be the new mayor was dealt a bad hand.
A constant criticism of the Johnson campaign was too much attention was being devoted to social issues and not enough to fiscal matters. It became patently clear that his comfort zone was the former and he wasn’t going to venture into the unknown world of crafting budgets, managing departments, and reviewing and revising budget line items-at least not before he absolutely had to
His financial weakness was further laid bare when he proffered a plan to raise $800 million through tax increases. The plan completely overlooked that the majority of steps in it would require either Illinois General Assembly or Chicago City Council approval. To date, nothing in that plan has been put into play.
We have to believe that now Johnson laments that he did not take a crash course and immerse himself in the fiscal part of the mayor’s job. Candidate Johnson strolled into office on the promise so many wanted to hear-there would be no property tax increase.
Stop stalling and announce the property tax increase
Now is the time for the mayor to exit his campaign fairy tale and let Chicago voters know there is a property tax increase coming. Despite the fact that Lightfoot didn’t put the traditional 2.5 percent tax increase in the current city budget; Johnson has little choice but to include it in his first budget. It will see daylight this October. Johnson can make a strong case that these unforeseen circumstances left him no alternative. The tone he uses to make that case will be key. Additionally, he must brace Chicagoans for the possibility that there may be another bump in taxes.
An old wise man said many years ago that one doesn’t need a tall glass of water to swallow pride. Somebody should pass the mayor a glass of water so he can sip it as he reaches out the Chicago business community, a cohort which he all but shunned during his campaign, and ask for help.
The mayor would be wise to understand that business leaders don’t want to see Chicago suffer anymore than he does. Their ideas for shoring up the budget and improving city hall operations might not jibe with his, but Johnson owes it to himself and everyone who claims to care about Chicago to listen to what business and corporate leaders have to say.