Mayor Johnson pledges to be out in public more
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As he hits his midterm mark, Mayor Brandon Johnson is pledging to increase communication, spend more time in the community and mend fences with folks who got him elected.
Why it matters: Johnson rode in on a wave of Black and progressive support in 2023 but now faces low approval ratings, nailbiter votes and strained relationships with some of his biggest former supporters.
What he's saying: "There was this incredible coalition that I helped build, that took on the political establishment, and propelled me into office. But while I was standing up government, my regret is that I did not spend that same amount of energy and time securing that coalition to govern," he told Axios during a sit-down interview Monday morning.
- "This is why I'm spending more time with town halls, lakeside chats, and I'm in high schools, senior homes, churches. We're going right to the community to secure that coalition to help us govern as we move forward."
The big picture: Johnson is in the middle of a midterm press blitz touting his plans to make Chicago "the safest, most affordable big city in America," and he's made some progress.
- Last month the city saw the lowest reported homicides for an April since 1962.
- And alders passed Johnson's plan to let the city essentially self-finance new affordable housing projects.
- Yes, but: The mayor's "Cut the Tape" initiative to fast-track development has yet to complete even half of its 107 priorities after a year.
Zoom out: As Johnson tries to woo back supporters, he's battling a Trump administration that's threatened to withhold billions in funding based on Chicago's sanctuary city and DEI policies.
- The mayor says his office has prepared by securing a big bond investment, placing protection for workers in contracts and filing suits against the Trump administration, but "it's going to take effort from all of us to be able to beat back against the tyranny, quite frankly, that's come from the federal government," he said.
- Yes, but: He did not detail how an already cash-strapped city could weather massive federal funding losses without cutting services and jobs.
The intrigue: In reflecting on his staffing controversies, Johnson insists that he didn't fire Public Health chief Allison Arwady, despite her interviews detailing her firing and mayoral ally Carlos Ramirez-Rosa's explanation of the reasons Arwady "had to go" on the Ben Joravsky Show.
- Johnson would not explain the discrepancy except to say, "She issued her letter of resignation."
What's next: When asked what he hopes his headline will be at this time next year, he suggested: "Mayor Johnson is standing for righteousness … for working people."
Catch the full interview here.