By: Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
Nearly one year ago, Chicagoans cheered Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s removal from office. Gone was her toxic attitude. Her flippant dismissal of the city’s many crises. Her abrasive politics.
In her place was Brandon Johnson, who promised a more inclusive approach to building a “better, stronger, safer Chicago.”
It hasn’t turned out that way. Today, there’s little disagreement that Mayor Johnson has disappointed on most key issues. On crime. On policing. On migrants. On education. On governance. Even on foreign affairs.
Two recent polls show Chicagoans have a low opinion of Johnson and his performance so far.
A January poll by Tulchin Research found just 21% of registered Chicago voters approved of Johnson. And a new Harris poll shows just 9% of city residents rated Johnson’s performance as above average while 50% rated his performance as below average.
It’s reached the point where some Chicagoans are pursuing a recall initiative to remove the mayor.
As we approach Johnson’s one-year anniversary, let’s review how he’s mishandled the city’s key issues.
On crime
Even before taking office, Mayor Johnson fully embraced soft-on-crime policies. Johnson said in 2020 that defunding the police is not “a slogan, it’s an actual real political goal.” He later defended looting as “an outbreak of incredible frustration and anguish” tied to “a failed racist system.” And at a panel for a police-free future, Johnson said “part of it is removing ourselves away from this state-sponsored policing…”
Johnson has continued to openly excuse crime and violence since becoming Mayor. He declared the youth of last summer’s teen takeovers as just kids being “silly.” He later pushed back against those who complained of youth mobs taking over city streets: “We’re not talking about mob actions…to refer to children as baby Al Capones is not appropriate.”
All that rhetoric has helped fuel Chicago’s crime problem. 2023 ended up with a five-year high in major crimes committed, while Chicago led the country again in homicides for the 12th year in a row. And while murders are down 10% this year, robberies and violent crimes overall are currently running at a six-year high.
Despite that rise in violence, Johnson earlier this year canceled ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection technology, to appease soft-on-crime advocates who declared the program “racist.” He was later pressured to extend the contract through November to ensure ShotSpotter would be in place during the Democratic National Convention.
The saga is not over, however, as now there’s a concerted effort by several aldermen to override Johnson’s decision to get rid of the program. They call ShotSpotter an ‘invaluable tool’ for fighting crime in their homicide-ridden wards.
On illegal immigrants
Mayor Johnson never had a plan – and still doesn’t – for how to handle the inflow of illegal migrants to Chicago. That’s led to a series of walkbacks, unforced errors and costly mistakes by him and his administration. The mayor continues to blame Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for the inflow, but it’s Johnson’s continued support of Chicago’s failed sanctuary status and his increased handouts that keep the migrants coming in.
The Johnson administration has committed nearly $400 million to migrant health and welfare so far and that’s created outrage across the city’s black and brown communities, many of whom protest that the city’s resources are being diverted away from their own struggling neighborhoods. They feel they’ve become second class citizens in their own city.
And then there was the Mayor’s flip-flop on his traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson originally said he would travel there to see the impact of the migrant crisis first-hand, but walked that back a few weeks later, with the excuse that he had too much to do and that “I’m doing all of that with a Black wife raising three Black children on the west side of the city of Chicago. I am going to the border as soon as possible.” Mayor Johnson has yet to visit the border.
There’s also the tent city debacle, where the Brighton Park site Johnson chose to host a migrant encampment turned out to be an environmental health hazard. Gov. J.B. Pritzker had to step in and block Johnson and the city from proceeding with the 2,000-bed encampment.
On schools
Johnson staked out his vision for K-12 education long before he ran for mayor, declaring he was “against the structure” of education and decrying homework, standardized tests and selective enrollment schools.
His first step in enacting that vision, a CPS school board resolution calling for a “transition” away from selective enrollment schools and “school choice,” sparked a major backlash from both parents and the state’s political class. Chicago’s selective enrollment and magnet schools are actually among the best, most diverse schools in the state, where black and Hispanic students achieve the same high marks as white students.
A bill protecting those schools from closure recently passed overwhelmingly in the House, serving as a direct repudiation of the Mayor’s efforts.
On Gaza
The mayor recently took the tie-breaking vote in support of a city resolution that called for a ceasefire in Gaza. That, from the city that leads the country in murders and just hit a five-year high for major crimes. Even Saturday Night Light Live mocked Johnson and the city council, joking that Gaza had in return called for a ceasefire in Chicago.
On tax hikes
Johnson’s failure to pass his signature “Bring Chicago Home” initiative, a real-estate transfer tax hike to address homelessness, highlighted how little support the mayor has. Passage of the tax should have been a slam dunk. It was structured to deliver small tax cuts to the overwhelming majority of Chicagoans, while hiking taxes on the wealthy few. The tax hike, effectively a referendum on Johnson’s performance, failed 52 to 48, dealing a significant blow to the mayor’s authority.
On a new Bears stadium
Johnson is looking for any win to lift his flagging popularity. Cue his support for the Chicago Bears’ plan for a new multi-billion dollar stadium with more than $1.5 billion in taxpayer subsidies. Never mind that Johnson originally rejected the idea of public subsidies for a stadium during his candidacy, saying that such money would be better spent on new housing, removing lead pipes or “dozens of other urgent needs.”
What makes Johnson’s desperation for a “win” so obvious is that no prominent Democrat stood with him in support, certainly not the ones that matter most: Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Chris Welch all expressed skepticism of the deal.
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Perhaps nothing better captures the depth of the mayor’s struggles more than this: Johnson was asked not to attend Monday’s funeral of slain police officer Luis Huesca. His mother said, “Tell the mayor not to come. We do not want him there. Tomorrow is about my son and my family’s grief. We do not want him to disrespect his memory. The mayor does not support the police.”
A Chicago mayor, not attending the funeral of a fallen officer. Nothing more needs to be said.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- Death to Facts: Northwestern journalism prof Steven Thrasher tells pro-Palestinian demonstrators to reject objective reporting
- Floundering Illinois wind energy program blamed partly on (you guessed it) climate change
- Traumatizing Chicago robberies, violent crimes at six-year high
- Even more evidence Illinois can thank the federal government’s covid bailouts for its budget bonanza
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Yet, the incompetent policy makers just keep winning elections. Just one year later, the polling is a 21% approval rating.
Just what did you expect from someone who cannot pay his own bills or balance a check book?
He got elected by the public sector unions who only care about themselves and no one else.
People don’t get duped on this most recent government psyop. The protestors are working for the government to get everyone stirred up so they can pass laws limiting your free speech. The US House just passed a bill expanding hate speech, that means they can censor you even more. Don’t fall for these government psyop scams they put on the television box. Also stop falling for the democrat republican paradigm. It’s all a show to divide and control you. Your vote has never counted and never will, you have zero say in how your government is run.
The govt uses a cutout to do whatever they cannot do.
Starting to ring true
Why would anyone expect anything different?
Is anyone really surprised? Its another typical democrat. Any democrat will keep destroying the city and state, so keep voting democrat everyone, it’s incredible how stupid the people of Chicago are, and they will vote democrat again this upcoming election, they will never learn. Their pension will go bankrupt, will keep voting democrat, crime skyrocketing, will still vote democrat, carjackings through the roof, will keep voting democrat, thefts skyhigh, will keep voting democrat, you brought this on yourselves people, no one to blame but yourselves. But keep it up, you are doing an excellent job driving businesses, wealth, people out… Read more »
Maybe it is how they count the votes!
Let’s also flag the Mayor’s opportunistic attempt to coerce Huesca Family, for photo-op purposes, and his staff’s outright lies to family in attempt to satisfy Mayor’s desire to attend funeral on Monday, despite family’s stated request that politicians stay away from funeral and wake.
The guy is too inexperienced, too uneducated, and as now demonstrated, callous as well.
It is significant that the Mayor is flat out not welcome to the funeral of a slain officer. Ted Dabrowski underscored this on a radio interview. In the communities Johnson cares about, a significant percentage of males are involved in the criminal justice system. Johnson thinks it makes sense to cater to their interests. Not sure if he is in any way adept enough to understand the consequences of his policies. Socialism is expensive. Notwithstanding the First We Get the Money campaign, Johnson’s levers to raise revenues are limited. Property taxes are the easiest but the loop and downtown commercial… Read more »
Brando playing cheerleader at that phony Bears stadium pr stunt came off as pretty desperate
Disappointing? He met MY expectations.
People immersed in Marxist ideology, immersed in such ludicrous beliefs that a man can be a woman, immersed in government as God. Individuals who can’t change a flat tire, who never had to solve practical problems, who never made anything from wood metal or thread, who have no creative hobbies. These kind of people can never be expected to solve the problems of a decaying city. The only passion they have is to indoctrinate as much of the populous into believing they are victims and that his administration has all the solutions they need. Of course being incapable of solving… Read more »
Disaster for the people….know i didn’t vote for this mess!
Vote with your feet chris, it will never change, way better opportunities in red states. Chicago is lost, Illinois is lost, I wouldn’t stay there if I were you. Going to get really interesting in Chicago when their pension goes bankrupt.
As a lifelong Chicagoan who worked his ass off to try and remain in the “middle-class”, and now senior, and “enjoy the fruits of my labor”— the question for CTU/Brandon is what is he doing for us non-public sector hero class folks trying to hang on as “middle-class” while forking over are hard eared equity in ever escalating taxes for crappy services?…does anyone in pol or press care?
Apparently not. Working hard and making something of yourself is so yesterday. Today’s hero is lazy and sits in the basement waiting for free stuff, spending whatever money they can scrounge up on weed and scratch-offs.
Whenever CTU/Brandon mentions the “middle-class” it’s only cops & teachers. Apparently, in his world, the majority of the rest of us don’t exist or are systemically guilty for getten what little we got.
To be clear CTU hates cops and firefighters. Their criminal grifter allies are AFSCME and SEIU. CTU, AFSCME and SEIU are collectively a band of parasitic taxpayer scamming thieves. Bust them all.
The press is bought and paid for, just like the Illinois GOP aka Illinois democrat party, the real question is, why are you still there? You can vote with your feet, way way way better states to live in and those are the republican states, leave that trash dump behind. Chicago and Illinois are lost forever. And hopefully you rolled your pension money out in your retirement planning because that Chicago pension system is going to go bankrupt.
Drrrrrrrrimademocrat, saw your other comments that are now deleted. You are not welcome here or, I hope, anywhere else.
Hey Drrrrrrrrrrimademocrat; you really got a cuck soy simp sissy brainless loser to show his true colors. Guy must be apart of the communist uniparty and cant handle real conversations. I actually really like Drrrrimademocrats comments, they are spot on. Mark see heres the thing, you’re exactly the problem of why Chicago is such a f*ck*ng sh*thole from hell; you’re too soft and sissy of a man to get it back. It’s lost forever, enjoy living in the Chicago hellhole moron.
If it was his racist comments you liked (which we deleted) you are in the wrong place. (And Trump could do a lot better than you speaking up for him that way.)
In several years, we’ll come to discover that his administration was brazenly looting the city and fighting about it behind the scenes. He’ll make Dolton’s mayor look like a saint. He’ll turn over the keys to the treasury to the CTU and his staff will steal everything in city hall not bolted down.
I disagree. Brandon hasn’t failed at all. He’s delivered exactly what was expected when he was elected. The voters all knew he was an empty suit, a CTU/Preckwinkle stooge with no intellectual curiosity or significant leadership experience. The bar was set so pitifully low for Brandon, he can’t fail.
working right up to expectations.
Pritzker has no sense. Lightfoot had no balls. Johnson has no brains. Wake up Chicago, these Democrats are rapidly turning Chicago into a enormous failure.
By any measure Brandon Johnson has been a failure as mayor. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.