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Mayor Brandon Johnson is trying to put a 3% squeeze on city contractors, asking them to agree to reduce their prices by that amount on all invoices sent to the city to help Chicago get past “difficult economic times.”
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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Hmm, who’d a seen this coming from a mayor who has millions for illegals?
“asking them to agree to reduce their prices by that amount on all invoices sent to the city to help Chicago get past “difficult economic times.””
Difficult times that he and his predecessors helped create and extend no doubt.
Every city department should also be required to make the same cuts, at minimum.
but that would be “systemic racist community disinvestment”, to cut a $$DIME$$ of public sec jobs….everyone knows that!!
For CTU/ Brando the only cuts can come from private sector, as Amendment 1 has for all practical purposes maked any attempts at any kind of DOGE efficiencies, consolidation, private sector outsourcing, etc of city services impossible. Also, hence zero cuts to all new city hires under ARPA-COVID. $billions$
Did he ask for same discount for his speech coach and his hairstylist? What city dollars were spent on prepping him for his congressional visit?
Geez! If you do business with the City, cut your prices so I can give a huge pay raise to my underperforming buddies. That’s a great ask for hardworking business folks in Chicago. Fortunately, this nitwit will be gone in a couple of years. He can do a lot of damage in the meantime, but he will be gone.
If Mayor Johnson can ask contractors for a 3% price drop why can’t he ask Chicago teachers for a 3% drop in pay? Surely the teachers would want to help Chicago thru this tough period?
The Red Guard does not do pay cuts.
Make it 20%, and they will still be overpaid.
I was thinking 50%.
Mark, one more comment like this and you’ll raise Karen Lewis from the dead!
They will give him the 3% discounts then raise their prices 6%. It’s the Chicago way.
Wasn’t it just a couple days ago that Pritzker said Illinois is knocking it out the park, and he knows that the R’s / Trump can’t stand all the winning in Illinois under D leadership? Now BJ is saying these are difficult economic times in Chicago / Illinois? These knuckleheads can’t get their fake stories straight. Seems BJ is just looking for money to pay off the teacher’s union.
This is a sure sign the city is barreling towards bankruptcy. If there was a hurricane or fire that caused massive city-wide damage I would understand “difficult economic times.” But there is no cause for the city to be in difficult economic times other than spending waaay more money than they have.
The guy who refuses to make budget cuts, who thinks borrowing $830 million and repaying $2 billion is smart, the guy who pushes CPS to take a payday loan, he wants vendors to take a 3% discount to fund his stupidity? They should tell him to pound sand.
The truth is the City delays paying bills to smaller contractors for months and even years. They also have been favoring minority contractors who exist on a very thin margin of profit. At times, a small company has failed because of the delay in paying their bills. It is a bad customer to contract with.
That’s pretty raggedy, Brandon. Even for you.
I can’t recall any large metropolitan mayor ever shaking a can and begging. Mayor “ Dope “ is beyond pitiful.
He’s not “shaken the can”, he’s shaken the “snake oil bottle”…..not a dimes coming out of his $5.5 mil pension for being a teacher for 4 yrs or all the $$$$$$$$$$$$$ he’s about to lavish on his buddies at CTU, zero layoffs, etc, etc. He’s not some incompetent lefty fool. He’s a carpetbagger con artist grifter extraordinaire!!
“I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a Pension today.”