It's hard to overstate how surprising this moment was for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Much has been said to WBEZ as aldermen and others react to the news that every Chicago Public Schools board member chosen by Johnson will resign by the end of the month.
The expected resignations come after months of tension over who — whether the city or CPS — should pay for the pensions of non-teaching CPS employees, whether a loan should be taken out to pay those pensions on top of the new teachers union contract, and whether the CEO According to CPS, Pedro Martinez should be fired for not agreeing with Johnson's loan idea.
It is not entirely known whether the resignations were forced by Johnson or came voluntarily from the board members. But in the end, the departure seemed mutual, a source told WBEZ. Some board members were upset with the mayor's handling of the conflict and the situation they were put in, and the mayor wanted change, because his appointed board was not doing what he wanted.
Regardless, the board's deterioration, as well as the fraught public battle that preceded it, has raised questions about Johnson's ability to build consensus even among his allies. That casts doubt among some about whether Johnson will be able to move forward with big policy priorities in Springfield and the City Council, including his upcoming budget.
“What's astonishing is that he has the whole table under control and is still unable to properly manage not only CPS but the entire situation,” Ald said. Scott Waguesback, Ward 32, who has become a frequent critic of Johnson. “He was in complete control.”
I give birth. 40th District Andre Vasquez, a progressive who has become increasingly critical of Johnson, echoed Waguespack's disbelief.
“It's absolutely amazing, because the board is fully equipped, and for it to be in response to how things are going is definitely concerning,” Vasquez said. “If this is based primarily on CPS CEO Martinez and the board members being opposed to a short-term, high-interest loan, then I think they are right.”
I give birth. Byron Sigcho Lopez, 25th District, a close Johnson ally, disputed the idea that this was an embarrassment to Johnson. Instead, he blamed the state, arguing that if Illinois had allocated enough money to CPS, the city wouldn't have had to consider taking out a loan in the first place.
“The mayor is doing what the majority of Chicagoans would like to see: changes to CPS that actually get results,” he said. “This is embarrassing for the state of Illinois, that we have a governor who is unwilling to work with the city of Chicago… It is embarrassing for our political system that we are failing our students, our teachers and our communities.”
Johnson has repeatedly refused to express his criticism of Martinez directly in public. In an interview with WBEZ and the Sun-Times Friday, Johnson painted the resignations as an opportunity to begin the transition to a hybrid, elected school board, which would begin with the November election. The new council is scheduled to meet in January.
“It's about moving on to something very sensitive, isn't it? We're talking about expanding democracy,” Johnson said. “The power is in what people voted for. This is power. “It's not about seizing anything.”
Earlier in the week, Johnson declined to directly answer whether he was concerned that this tough public fight would hamper his ability to work on other big policy priorities, such as his next budget. But he made clear in a press conference on Wednesday that he wants change:
“I was elected to fight for the people of this city, and anyone who gets in the way of that, get out,” Johnson said.
Local council member: “The process is polluted.”
A senior aide to the mayor said earlier that Martinez lost the board, but Ald. “When the board approves the budget 7-0 and passes a five-year strategic plan and doesn't fire the CEO, I would argue the mayor has lost the board, and that's why he wants to replace them,” said Gilbert Villegas, 36th District.
“This is a rebuke of the mayor’s agenda, the CTU’s agenda,” said Villegas, who previously signed a letter supporting Martinez and ran against a CTU-backed opponent amid his re-election bid last year. “And if the board leaves, I would like to thank them for their service and truly commend them for standing up for what is right and not participating in the irresponsible money grab and potential bankruptcy of CPS.”
The mass resignations clear the way for Johnson to install new, hand-picked allies just a month before voters choose the first elected school board members.
If the newly appointed board were involved in taking out a loan, it “would be detrimental to the city for generations to come,” Vasquez said. Villegas said Johnson needs to recuse himself from the process entirely — and called on Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the state to step in and provide oversight.
“The process is tainted. There are conflicts of interest everywhere. We should have an independent board that is vetted and confirmed by the city council, to make sure we are putting forward people who want to do the right thing,” Villegas said. “This is nothing more than a power move to appease The largest campaign contributor who supported the mayor.”
Sigcho Lopez, who pushed for an elected board, said the mayor should not wait until elections to replace board members.
He said: “The mayor has the responsibility and has the right to appoint replacements.” “The Board of Education’s job is to hold CPS accountable… If people decide to resign because they are not up to the challenge, the mayor has the right to appoint new members.”
City Council priorities
At the end of this month, Johnson will introduce what is sure to be a tough budget proposal as he works to close the city's $982 million budget gap.
His administration has not ruled out layoffs, furloughs, or a property tax increase as a way to make ends meet. His administration said he recently postponed the budget address for two weeks to collaborate with council members and build consensus among them.
The drama surrounding CPS, coupled with the difficult few weeks Johnson faces in City Council, portends a difficult budget season, Waguespack said.
Most recently, the council voted 33-14 to try to override Johnson's decision to eliminate ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology. Johnson was unable to build consensus among the Black Caucus, which largely sided against him in the vote. Earlier in September, Johnson was forced to abandon his plan to appoint his ally Sigcho Lopez as chairman of the powerful Zoning Commission when it became clear that Sigcho Lopez would not receive the votes.
“(The CPS news) only exacerbates the problem of legitimacy and honest dealing, and that will be a problem for the budget as well,” Waguespack said.
Villegas said the recent struggles over public power are a result of Johnson “leading with ideology rather than leading with compromise.”
Vasquez said listening to differences of opinion can help the administration achieve its goals — which are largely shared by progressives.
“I think a number of us, as progressives, have made our differences clear, and I would say, with all the love and respect in the world for anyone in an executive position, to look at these things as feedback and maybe constructive criticism instead.” “Instead of attacking,” Vasquez said.
Johnson's standing in Springfield
State Rep. Cam Buckner said the power struggle going chaotic back and forth through opinion articles, statements and press conferences is an unnecessary distraction that will breed mistrust among state lawmakers from whom both City Hall and CPS will demand money. , Johnson's ally in Springfield.
“We're talking now about personalities and individuals and politics, which I think is the wrong position,” Buckner said Wednesday before the resignations. “My advice is to address and resolve these leadership challenges behind closed doors, where key stakeholders can meet, deliberate and present a unified plan, because effective management and clear communication will go a long way in gathering support from Springfield.”
Buckner said students and their families — and the state lawmakers who hold their money — will be looking for stability, and fast.
“It has to be very clear who is leading the district, what their plan is and what their vision is. You can't come to Springfield asking for more resources if the leadership is in disarray and we don't know what's going on from day to day,” Buckner said.
Who should pay CPS pensions has become a “hundreds of millions of dollars' hot potato game,” Vasquez said. City Hall and CPS have called on the state to help shoulder the bill, but Villegas said those requests should have been at the forefront during the spring legislative session, rather than lobbying lawmakers to agree to public support for a new stadium for the Chicago Bears.
“For CTU to sit here and say Pedro isn’t doing enough…” Villegas said. “Listen, you had the mayor, he went there and made three demands…it was to rescind the school closures, to selectively discontinue enrollment, to elect the entire school board, and $2 billion to the Bears. That's what his question was. It wasn't about a billion dollars for CPS.
Ultimately, Buckner said, the finger-pointing must end.
“It can't be about Pedro and Brandon. It has to be about 322,000 and counting… kids in the area,” Buckner said. “There's enough blame to go around. What we need to do is start moving away from blame and start moving toward responsibility.
Maria Wilfel and Tessa Weinberg cover city politics for WBEZ.
