Transition team misunderstood the assignment
The voice of the people was left out
Decades from now when municipal government archivists exam “Chicago for the People,” the 223-page report Mayor Brandon Johnson’s transition team produced, there is likely to be a consensus the writing is some of the best to come from a quasi-goverment unit in a long time.
After that there will be probably some collective head-scratching as they try to determine if the report was supposed to help the mayor bridge the time between his election and taking office and when he establishes his administration, or is it supposed to be the blueprint for how he will govern.
If it is the latter then it is a crystal clear indication, the team misunderstood its assignment. In order for the report to be the mayor’s footpath for the next four years, it is something that should have been developed by individuals with strong backgrounds in government, municipal finance and policy. And after reviewing the report, only the most politically naive among would believe the mayor’s hand wasn’t guiding the keystrokes during the final phase.
Just five days short of his two-month anniversary, we continue to notice skinning and grinning tops the mayor’s priority list-not getting practical input from Chicagoans. If he were doing the latter the laundry list of campaign promises he presented and continues to push would hold far more concrete benefits, than the pie-in-the-sky hopes he is tryign to pass off. That is why it is so patently clear his influence ran deep in that transition committee.
When you view the roster of committee chairs, it is obvious all of those essential attributes described above are lacking. Yes, there were 400 people all told serving on the team’s subcommittees, but they were not driving the ship in any of the forementioned areas. It is perfectly reflective of the mayor’s modus operandi- push forth expensive ideas with no plausible way to pay for them. There are possibilities identified for funding, but none of those potential funding sources have signed on
Not only is the lack of understanding of the focus of the transition in play; there is mounting evidence throughout the report paying attention to city government today was optional. Here are just a few examples of not reading or misreading Chicago’s current predicaments.
One recommendation was to build housing for students who experience some level of homelessness. Both the city and school district are staring at staggering debt and predictions are it will only get worse. Neither really have the finances for such an endeavor-unless personnel and some programs are cut.
Another idea that should have made its way to the trash rather than the final draft is to establish a new department - Department of Neighborhood Equity and Repair. The purpose of said department would be to “improve livability among our most vulnerable communities.” Just like other mentions in the report the fact that such a step would require Chicago City Council approval is ignored. The committee also fails to identify how the city’s perilous budget could afford the operating costs, personnel, personnel benefits and other resources needed to effectively operate a new department.
No doubt the transition team was serious about this item, but it doesn’t stop it from being laughable - “Use the profile of Mayor Johnson to align stakeholders and actively promote the city as an attractive place to start and expand
a business, relocate businesses, build a career, and invest capital across every neighborhood and sector.” Johnson has seemingly gone out of his way since winning the election avoid interacting with the business community. If any alignment or expansion is to be pushed, the committee should have indicated it will ask small business owners and major corporations to make that lift.
The report recommends funding or increased funding in several new areas-especially the arts. This is merely another hollow suggestion. The mayor has touted a series of tax and fee raises to generate $800 million. There has been no movement of such. However, in this space the plan to raise more than $1.6 billion was spelled out. One simple step of directing every department to reduce its budget by 10 percent for the rest of the fiscal year would generate all of the funds to cover every program Johnson has pitched and then some.
The committee also decided to skip one of the core assignments of most transition teams-help the newly elected assemble his or her top people-the heads of the various departments. It is a puzzlement how the transition team could spell out issues/matters they believe the new mayor should address without identifying who will actually be responsible for those areas. Sure, the mayor is ultimately responsible, however his lieutentants must be in charge of the day-to-day matters from minutia to the budget and personnel. Nor did the report make contingencies for a potential disaster.
Department heads and their deputies throughout city government currently command six-figure salaries, along with 24/7 access to vehicles they use primarily. Salaries, benefits, pension payments and the costs of operating two cars can easily hit the $1 million per year mark. For whatever reason, the committee overlooked the fact that the federal relief dollars Chicago was receiving are about to stop. So, paying for just one new department represents a financial strain.
Another difficult-to-understand result was the insular way the team crafted its recommendations. They clearly operated within that 400-person silo and took a top-to-bottom approach, which translated into none of Chicago’s 2 million-plus residents were asked what they think the future of the city should look like. Some might refer to it as KIA-know-it-all. The committee would not have had to survey more than 1,500 people to get a reliable margin of error of less than 5 percent. As it stands all Chicagoans are led to believe what is wanted is what membersis what those 11 subcommittees concluded. It aligns with the age-old dictum ‘I will tell you what is good for you.’ However, recommendations are scattered throughout the report that businesses - large and small, artists, and community members should be surveyed.
During his campaign, and once in office Johnson has expounded on the need and his plan to be inclusive. It certainly appeared that was the direction the transition team was headed when the distinguished Barbara Ransby, PhD at the University of Illinois-Chicago was tabbed to be a co-chair. Ransby has distinguished herself as an author, particularly in the area of Black Studies. She has garnered dozens of awards and other accolades for her work.
Apparently, the team was more interested in marginalizing Black Chicagoans, as an inordinate focus throughout the report was placed on what was described as Latin/e/x, LBTQ+, and migrants. Black people were mentioned almost as an afterthought. That may very well have been a function of comprised the 400 committee and subcommittee cohorts.
While the report reinforced the mayor’s committment to a social equity, social service approach; it grossly overlooked the reality that much of what is being or suggested is beyond the power of the fifth floor, and will need council or state legislative approval. Finally, the archivists mentioned at the top also are likely to say the report had plenty of pretty pictures.