Mayor-180 is about to strike again

Property taxes, Defunding CPD, Arwady, the Texas/Mexico border are examples of Johnson's about-face

When candidate Brandon Johnson announced he favored “defunding” the Chicago Police Department, reaction across the city ranged from “its’ about time” to “I’d like to see that” The candidate’s plan was DOA by the time he took office 18 months ago.

Candidate Johnson with no compelling reason other than he could committed to personally firing Dr. Allyson Arwady rom her post as Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allyson Arwady-instead he dispatched an underling to doe the deed and never gave the immensely popular infectious disease specialist doc the promised one-on-one meeting.

At the height of the COVID19 pandemic and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sending migrants by the busload to Chicago and city officials scrambling to find accommodations for them, Mayor Johnson decided he could gain a better understanding of what he referred to as an international crisis by visiting the U.S./Mexico border. Johnson completed an about face shortly before his trip was scheduled which meant he never saw the border from that vantage point.

When Candidate Johnson assembled his transition team and no notables from the city’s business community were named, many observers knew that financially Chicago was in for a roller coaster ride. However, none foreshadowed the drop would be so steep as to crash into the $1 billion range.

Johnson and Chicago finance operatives are traversing uncharted fiscal territory. Any number of Chicago’s captains of business have said at public forums or media interviews they would be more than willing to help get the financial wheels back on track. At least publicly, extended such an offer. Instead, the mayor has relied on a bevy of Gen Xers to get on-the-job training at taxpayers’ expense.

Unless and until the mayor asks for a helping hand from the business community and those with experience in government, as well as Gov. JB Pritzker; the boat known as Chicago will not be able to escape the choppy waters. If they are being honest with themselves Johnson’s union cronies at CTU and SEIU will acknowledge they lack the skillset to successfully deal with a multi-billion-dollar budget and the government restraints that come with it.

Both the Civic Federation and the Better Government Association have laid out blueprints that at least keep the city’s head above water. As neither org will have anything to gain politically; Johnson owes it to himself and every Chicagoan to meet as soon as possible to meet with key representative of both organizations,