I found the reaction of the editors of the Chicago Sun-Times to the election of Brandon Johnson as mayor simultaneously comical and sad:
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It’s too early to say that we’re cautiously optimistic about the incoming Johnson administration. As a candidate, he clearly showed passion for revitalizing the city, and that’s a plus. But with his lack of executive experience and limited time as an elected official, we’re still from Missouri: Show us, and the rest of Chicago too.
Johnson can, and should, take a huge step in the right direction by making it clear — in action, not just words — that he’s not going to govern at the behest of the Chicago Teachers Union.
Let me stop right there. There’s an old Texasism: dance with the one that brung ya. Does anyone doubt that Brandon Johnson will continue to back the CTU? Maybe he’s a much greater man than his résumé would lead you to believe but his lack of experience alone is likely to mean that he will be led rather than lead, and not just by the CTU. As Charles Lipson points out taking political contributions from public employees’ unions is an inherently corrupt practice. You can’t put lipstick on that pig.
Furthermore, his most important endorsements were not just from outside Chicago but from out of state.
They continue:
Johnson’s hiring will tell Chicago a lot. Who will he recruit for his transition team? Who will be on the 5th Floor with him, ensuring that the sprawling behemoth of city government works to make peoples’ lives better — in other words, herding the cats?
Those hires will be an early bellwether of the next four years.
and
Which is why picking the right person as police superintendent is Johnson’s most important task. The choice isn’t entirely up to him; a commission will pick candidates for Johnson to choose from. But he’ll have the final say on which person has the skills, and will, to transform CPD for the better.
Johnson also now has the unenviable job of getting Chicago’s fiscal house in order, at a time when pension problems remain a huge drain on city finances. His proposed $800 million in tax increases is unrealistic, and Johnson has to convince taxpayers he can skillfully manage the city’s coffers. The best way to do that is by bringing on a savvy budget manager who’s not afraid to tell him what does, and does not, make fiscal sense.
Let’s keep track. I’m not hopeful. The advantage to pessimism is that you can only be pleasantly surprised.
