Axios Chicago

November 01, 2024
🐈 Happy Friday! Today is "National Cook for Your Pets Day." Think "The Bear" but for your cat.
- 😰 Today's weather: Cold. Sunny with a high of 52.
Situational awareness: There won't be newsletters this weekend. We'll be back on Monday!
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Chicago members Jacqui Cook, Beth O'Mahoney and B. G. Dubose!
Today's newsletter is 950 words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: Mayor Johnson's promises
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is confusing residents on which campaign promises he intends to keep and which ones he'll break.
Why it matters: Chicagoans are reeling over a newly proposed $300 million property tax hike to help close the city's budget deficit.
- 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.
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.
Reality check: Property tax increases aren't new to Chicagoans. Former mayors, most notably Rahm Emanuel, also used them to shore up the budget, and Johnson has every right to do the same.
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.
2. Embattled Chicago school board president resigns
Chicago's brand new school board president Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson resigned Thursday in the wake of revelations about controversial social media posts over the last year.
Why it matters: The abrupt resignation, just days after Johnson was appointed to lead the board by Mayor Brandon Johnson, has triggered more chaos in the nation's fourth largest school district at a time when families are seeking stability.
Catch up quick: Earlier this week Jewish Insider published a story detailing Johnson's "antisemitic" posts related to the Hamas-Israel war on his Facebook page.
- By Wednesday, Gov. JB Pritzker, 40 alders and several Jewish leaders had all issued calls for Johnson — no relation to the mayor — to step down.
Zoom in: Further examinations of Johnson's accounts also reportedly turned up posts promoting the false theory that September 11 was an inside job and sexist comments.
What they're saying: "Reverend Mitchell Johnson's statements were not only hurtful but deeply disturbing. I want to be clear: antisemitic, misogynistic, and conspiratorial statements are unacceptable," the mayor said in a Thursday statement.
What's next: Johnson says his office "will proceed promptly to identify a qualified individual who shares our dedication to educational excellence and will serve with an unwavering commitment to the values we hold dear."
3. Tips and hot links: Hate crime charges
🚨 A man who was arrested after allegedly shooting an Orthodox Jewish man last weekend in Rogers Park now faces charges of terrorism and hate crime. (Tribune)
🏡 Chicago Housing Authority Board chair Angela Hurlock will take over as the interim CEO of the housing agency replacing outgoing CEO Tracey Scott. (Block Club)
💰University of Chicago Medicine secured a $75 million donation for a new cancer pavilion in Hyde Park. (Sun-Times)
4. Where U.S. states stand on permanent daylight saving time

Daylight saving time begins early Sunday morning. You get an extra hour, but now the days will turn darker earlier.
The intrigue: Nearly half of U.S. states have moved towards permanent DST, but not Illinois.
Why it matters: The biannual clock shifting is a constant point of debate among Americans, with some preferring more daylight in the morning and others in the evening (as DST provides).
The big picture: Lawmakers or voters in 20 states have approved some form of permanent daylight saving time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
- But states can only adopt permanent DST with an act of Congress.
Discover local fun
🔍 Plan ahead with these events.
Let It Happen: Tame Impala Dance Party at Subterranean on Nov 16: With DJ Greg Corner playing all the best psychedelic rock, psychedelic pop, hypno groove, synth-pop, indie disco, and indie electronic jams by: Tame Impala, etc.
Hosting an event? Email [email protected].
5. It's Nov. 1: Are you ready for Christmas?
👋 Hi, it's Justin!
If you are like me, you are waking up this morning to dreams of leftover Halloween candy while making grandiose plans for Thanksgiving side dishes.
Yes, but: Thanksgiving apparently doesn't make enough money, so Nov. 1 is now officially the holiday season.
Driving the news: This afternoon, WLIT-FM starts its around-the-clock holiday music programming.
- Costco has been displaying Christmas trees for at least a month.
The bottom line: It's Christmas time, whether you like it or not.
The vibe: Are we good with the early start or is it time to stand up against it?
🗳️ Take our poll and we'll reveal the results next week.
6. Worst name change: Whatcha talkin' about Willis!
It's official! Axios Chicago readers have made their choice in a nailbiter for the worst name change in the city's history.
The winner: Sears to Willis Tower.


Reality check: Chicagoans were shocked when the famous skyscraper's name was changed in 2009.
Yes, but: Many refuse to even call it Willis Tower, since the Sears Tower was such an iconic, identifiable source of pride, as the tallest building in the world when built in 1973.
The bottom line: Fifteen years after the switch to Willis, the name flip is still so divisive that it's almost become a matter of civic pride to ignore it.
Thanks for voting! We'll be back with another tournament soon!
Edited by Lindsey Erdody.
🧑🧑🧒 Monica hopes you spend some quality time with your loved ones this weekend as next week could get tense. Ideally, everything will go smoothly but it's never a bad time to enjoy life.
🎤 Justin wants you to go see 20x2 at the GMan on Sunday night. Twenty great performers get two minutes to answer the question, "Can you explain?" Brilliant! He has done the show before, including this great bit with Walter Jacobson in 2020.
👼🏼 Carrie is very proud of the angel costume she whipped up last night! She knew those wings she's moved to multiple new apartments would come in handy.
Want more Axios Chicago content? Check out our Instagram for extra stuff to do, behind the scenes photos, videos and more!
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