Chicago mayor-elect hails Illinois as ‘vanguard for progressive policy’
in speech to lawmakers
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[April 20, 2023]
By JERRY NOWICKI
& ANDREW ADAMS
Capitol News Illinois
news@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson said Wednesday his
goal was to unify the state while calling Illinois a “vanguard for
progressive policy all over this country” in an address to a joint
session of the General Assembly.
Johnson, a former middle school teacher and one-time staffer for Senate
President Don Harmon, said he came to Springfield to “establish a
productive, collaborative and energetic partnership to invest in the
people of Chicago and the engine of this economy here in Illinois.”
Some of Johnson’s agenda for the city, such as increasing the city’s
real estate transfer tax on properties exceeding $1 million, would
require action from the General Assembly. In his speech to lawmakers, he
also supported a “revised school funding formula,” with unspecified
changes that would “help ensure there is a nurse and a social worker in
every single school in Chicago.”
“I stand ready to continue to make those strong investments and to
deliver on the promise of fully funded neighborhood schools,” he said.
“Public education at the expense of the state, after all, is a Negro
idea.”
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One major ask for state funding was an increase to the Local Government
Distributive Fund, a share of the state’s income tax that is directed to
local municipalities across Illinois. It was originally earmarked for 10
percent of those revenues to go to municipalities in 1969, but that
number has decreased over the years to 6.16 percent of personal income
tax collections and 6.85 percent of corporate income taxes.
Mayors from across the state were in Springfield Tuesday night to
request that funding be increased to 10 percent once again over the next
four fiscal years. That would cost about $250 million for each
percentage point the rate is increased.
“By increasing funding, this body can help provide Chicago and cities
and towns across the state with the resources that are needed to build
from the ground up,” Johnson said. “And when we build a better,
stronger, safer Chicago we are building a better, stronger safer
Illinois.”
He praised recent state budgets that included hundreds of millions of
dollars aimed at addressing gun violence with youth intervention
programs, and increasing spending on public schools, domestic violence
prevention and trauma recovery centers.
Johnson’s speech aimed to weave a staunchly liberal agenda with a
conciliatory tone.
“For years, they've told us that this is a zero-sum game, that if
something's good for Chicago, well, that means we're taking something
away from Peoria,” Johnson said. “They tell us that the challenges that
we face in the city of Chicago and families like mine, on the West Side
of Chicago, aren't the same challenges shared by families from Rockford
to Carbondale from East St. Louis to Champaign, and everywhere in
between.”
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It's an approach that didn’t land with House Republican Leader Tony
McCombie, of Savanna.
“House Republicans were open to hearing the mayor-elect’s vision for
Chicago, but what we heard today was a partisan political speech unheard
of in our legislative chamber,” she said in a statement. “Where Mayor
Johnson says he wants to collaborate on job growth, support law
enforcement, and increase education funding, Republicans will be good
partners. However, we won’t stand for rhetoric that divides our state,
burdens Illinois families, or support bailouts for ineffective
programming.”
The strongest pushback from Republicans came regarding the mayor-elect’s
stance on public safety.
His recent election win over the a more conservative challengercandidate,
Paul Vallas, was an electoral mandate for his response to crime in the
city, he said.
“Public safety is a prerequisite to the prosperity of Chicago,” he said.
“And the voters have sent a clear message that they want to get smart,
not just tough on crime. We have a mandate to make bold, necessary
investments that address the root causes of violence.”
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![](../images/042023PIX/news_c78.jpg)
Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson
(center) delivers an address to a joint session of the General
Assembly Wednesday in the Illinois House chamber. He is pictured
with Senate President Don Harmon, (left) D-Oak Park, and House
Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside. (Capitol News Illinois
photo by Jerry Nowicki)
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Apr/20/images/ads/current/graue_lda_preowned_Buickencore_011323.jpg)
His plan includes adding 200 detectives in the city and expanding mental
health services for police officers, who are asked to do too much, he
said.
His agenda would also aim to decrease the city’ unemployment rates of 19
percent for those 16 to 19 years old and 12 percent for those 20 to 24
years old.
“As a result, too many young Chicagoans feel there is nowhere to turn,”
he said. “Instead of lagging behind other major cities on youth summer
jobs, Chicago will look to aggressively expand the number of jobs for
young people. We'll do it by bringing government, philanthropy, the
private enterprises together around our common interests to invest in
people, particularly young people.”
The mayor-elect's visit to Springfield comes after a weekend of widely
publicized reports of property damage and assault in downtown Chicago.
Videos circulated on social media showing large gatherings in Chicago’s
Loop neighborhood and at a beach on the city’s South Side, with at least
one showing a group of young people assaulting a woman.
Johnson issued a statement on Sunday calling for the creation of “spaces
for youth to gather safely and responsibly, under adult guidance and
supervision.”
“In no way do I condone the destructive activity we saw in the Loop and
lakefront this weekend,” Johnson said in the statement. “It is
unacceptable and has no place in our city. However, it is not
constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of
opportunities in their own communities.”
The violence — and Jonson’s statement — have attracted criticism.
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Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, a Democrat who ran for mayor earlier
this year, in an appearance on Fox News, said that the city needs to
deal with “the here and now,” not just the “root causes” of crime.
“We absolutely need to demonize this kind of behavior because this is
unacceptable,” Lopez said on Fox. “We know not all of our youth are bad,
but we do know there are organized efforts to bring them downtown and
other neighborhoods to cause chaos and pandemonium.”
Some conservative downstate lawmakers called a news conference following
Johnson’s address to criticize his plans for addressing violence in the
city.
While Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, said downstate lawmakers
respect the city’s role as an economic engine, they believe the violence
in Chicago poses a threat to business and tourism. The Republicans
sought a tougher approach to policing with more accountability for those
committing crimes.
“Imagine being a Missouri resident contemplating visiting Chicago and
seeing what has happened on Michigan Avenue,” Halbrook said. “People do
not want to visit places where they may get mugged or beaten.”
Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, spoke directly to the camera in addressing
potential attendees of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in
Chicago, which Johnson celebrated in his speech.
“What you saw last weekend is just the tip of the iceberg,” Caulkins
said. “It's just the beginning. Be very aware of the environment that
you're being invited to.”
Johnson defended his statement on the violence in the city at a news
conference on Wednesday following the address.
“You can make sure that we eradicate the root causes that lead to
violence,” Johnson said. “And we also can make sure that there's support
on the front line to make sure that we're preventing violence.”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news
service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of
newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by
the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation,
along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation
and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
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