Mayor Johnson is at a crossroads

Employees will face trauma when reality of layoffs and furloughs set in

Exactly two years ago this month, a little-known Cook County Commissioner ascended to the mayor’s office. It was the first time Brandon Johnson had won a citywide election; and he came into the job with an ambitious, yet somewhat unrealistic platform-scrap tradition and focus on the people.

He failed to give adequate attention to the financial crisis at Chicago’s front door. Instead, he chose to focus on trying to implement innovative strategies to shore up the city coffers while simultaneously enhancing services to Chicagoans. The mayor made some untenable promises that many believed would collapse down the road-and they were correct. It is easy to understand that Johnson made those commitments as he didn’t fully understand the breadth of his job, as well as its limitations.

Now, at exactly the halfway point in his term Johnson is at a crossroads. One choice is to continue on the path he’s been on-one which caters to the Chicago Teachers Union, practically ignores the business community; and deludes him into thinking that Springfield will reverse course and start pumping money into Chicago. This is the course that resulted in the historic 0-50 vote on his property tax proposal, and a resounding no when he sought voters’ support on another issue.

Johnson’s other choice is to call a news conference, something that he seems to enjoy; and take a long deep breath, look straight into the cameras and say ‘Chicago: I was wrong. Really, I thought I had this whole thing figured out, but I didn’t. I am here today to admit that and simultaneously tell you that changes are coming.

‘I will show you what collaboration looks like, and not just use the word. You will see me reaching out to the business community, as well as city council members at the first hint a project or idea might be going off the rails.

‘As difficult as it is, I also am using this moment to tell everyone that I really got it wrong and with a $1 billion deficit staring at us, I have no choice but to break my promise and implement citywide layoffs. Hopefully, some, if not most of you know I did everything in my power to stave off this action. Within one week the layoff procedures will be in place, and I will share all details with you then.’

Eventually the mayor will have to pull the trigger and announce citywide layoffs

No doubt the employees directly impacted by the layoffs won’t have kind things to say about the mayor. There is likely to be the feeling that he should have called this step sooner. Conversely, employees should have been able to read the writing on the wall and made some preparations for the layoffs.

It also could be the case that many didn’t want to speak layoffs into existence and were holding onto a shred of hope.

Johnson has repeatedly touted his ambition to be the longest serving mayor in the city’s history. That path starts with being reelected and it is clear with him carrying a 6.6 percent approval rating-the lowest of any Chicago mayor in modern history; he will face a gaggle of opponents in 2027. This is a critical fact given Johnson won in 2023 by fewer than 30,000 votes; and with a population of 2.7 million, only 612,000 voters went to the polls.

That translates into Johnson using the next two years to have a laser focus on current city matters and not berating past administrations-in other words-telling voters what he can and will do as opposed to what someone else did. There is a sentiment that when he took his job was to fix, rather than complain, about an earlier point in history.

There will be no money in the budget, at least for two years, to experiment on new programs; so, the mayor’s center of attention will need be more conservative and focus on what’s on Chicago’s plate now, like the quantum computing operation coming to the former U.S. Steel site.

It can’t hurt for Johnson to attempt to mend fences with Gov. JB Pritzker immediately, whether Pritzker runs for President or not. Whether the Chicago Teachers will pour millions into Johnson’s reelection is something that won’t be known for several months. If that union does replicate its 2023 multi-million-dollar contributions, the mayor and his outsized attention on their matters is something that can’t be replicated either.

Johnson does not have the luxury of time to decide with path he is taking now that he is at a crossroads. Chicago’s fate depends on the road he chooses.