Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson walks fine line on campaign promises

• Raising taxes is sometimes unavoidable, but Johnson campaigned hard on promises to avoid increasing them when he ran and won in 2023.
• He even had slick, glossy campaign ads boasting that "I am the only candidate running for mayor who won't raise your property taxes."

The impact: The proposed hike would add hundreds of dollars to property owners' tax bills, and it would come after city property taxes almost doubled in the last decade.

• Landlords would also likely pass the expense to renters, and business owners could increase prices for goods and services.

The vibe: Politicians are often called liars when they backtrack on campaign promises or flip-flop on issues they'd rallied for, but making a campaign promise is much easier than executing a plan to keep it.

• No one has gone as far as calling the mayor a "liar," but breaking a giant campaign promise like this could set him up for that criticism in the future.
• In this case, multiple alders, including all Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez, and the nonpartisan research group the Civic Federation have suggested alternatives to the tax increase, like holding off on supplemental pension payments this year.

The other side: Johnson is attempting to plug a $1 billion budget gap. The property tax is just part of his solution — he's also calling for 3% cuts at all city departments.

• "This is tough," the mayor said in his budget speech. "We didn't make this decision lightly."
• The mayor went on to say that corporate interests were stopping him from other solutions. "I would certainly much rather tax the rich," Johnson stated.

Reality check: Property tax increases aren't new to Chicagoans. Former mayors, mostly notably Rahm Emanuel, also used them to shore up the budget, and Johnson has every right to do the same.

• Johnson also has the right to fight for a more equitable Chicago.

Yes, but: Chicagoans also have every right to call him out for misleading voters by setting himself apart from the rest of the candidates with a bold promise that he is not delivering on.

• Especially when he uses "campaign promises" as a crutch to not compromise on other issues.

The intrigue: He hasn't budged on two other controversial promises.

• The mayor said he wanted to fully fund Chicago Public Schools, and his budget proposal would send more than $300 million in surplus TIF funds to the district to help shore up that budget. Yet, critics have pushed back, saying the CPS budget is bloated and cuts are needed.
• He also promised to end the use of ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection program, and took action to do so recently despite pushback from alders for not having a replacement technology in place.

The bottom line: Johnson likes to talk about healing the "the soul of Chicago." But integrity is part of the soul of Chicago, too.