Chicago’s next mayoral election is three years away, but Mayor Brandon Johnson may be already campaigning for a second term.
That would appear so, given the full-page ad that ran in the Chicago Sun-Times last week that touted Johnson’s eight-month record in City Hall.
“Brandon Johnson is the people’s mayor,” the ad declares in its headline, which is accompanied by a photo of an animated Johnson. “He has worked to pass the most progressive legislation of any major city in the country,” it says, ticking off a list of his accomplishments, including “reopening mental health clinics” and $250 million in support for the unhoused.”
The ad discloses that it was “paid for by Southside Chicagoans.” That would be a pretty large group, right?
The day after the ad appeared, Johnson visited with seniors at a bingo game at a venue on the Near Northwest Side. When reporters asked about the ad, he said he knew nothing about who was behind it. But Johnson was happy to parrot its message.
“People are excited about what we’ve delivered over the last 10 months, as they should be,” WGN-TV quoted Johnson as saying in a report about the event. “A quarter of a billion dollars into the unhoused, a hundred million dollars for violence prevention.”
He asserted, “When I announced my candidacy over a year ago, I said we were going to eliminate subminimum wage. We did that. We said we were going to pass paid time off. We did that. I said we were going to invest more in youth employment. We’ve done that. I said we were committed to hiring more detectives. We’re doing that.”
Eight months into his first term, Johnson’s supporters are compelled to run a campaign-like ad in a major daily newspaper. Are they worried? In public and private comments, Johnson and his team have made it clear they believe the mayor is not getting enough credit for his accomplishments, especially from the media.
“People are excited,” Johnson pronounced at the bingo event.
Yet, the ad’s mystery sponsors curiously dubbed themselves “Southside Chicagoans.” The group is not registered with the state of Illinois as a political or lobbying organization. Surely, Johnson’s cadre of support is bigger than that. After all, his winning margin in the 2023 election was also fueled by voters on the West Side, Johnson’s home, and political base, as well as by progressives in Chicago’s gentrifying areas and along the lakefront. The ad appeared in only one major paper, at a cost of $2,600, according to news reports. But its message got plenty of media play.
In a way, it all reminds me of my time as deputy press secretary for another Black mayor, Harold Washington.
In 1985, Washington proposed a massive $185 million general obligation bond issue to repair hundreds of crumbling streets, sidewalks, alleys and sewers throughout Chicago’s 50 wards. The “Vrdolyak 29” — aldermen who formed a loyal group of racist opposition — condemned Washington’s plan, even though their own wards on the Northwest and Southwest sides stood to benefit.
Washington’s aides believed the mainstream media was more enamored with the ferocious battles of “Council Wars” than reporting on how the bond issue would aid the city. So, we went around the major media. His press office produced ads and pitched articles about the initiative to community newspapers. The administration even mounted a bus tour to show how Washington’s infrastructure plan would benefit the white communities where the mayor — and Black people in general — were not even welcome. It worked, and the City Council eventually approved the bond issue.
In Johnson’s case, he and his supporters are promoting his agenda to his own base. Shouldn’t those folks already be on board that bus?
Laura Washington is a political commentator and longtime Chicago journalist. Her columns appear in the Tribune each Monday. Write to her at LauraLauraWashington@gmail.com.
Laura Washington: Is Mayor Brandon Johnson already campaigning for a second term?
18
6
19.02.2024
Chicago’s next mayoral election is three years away, but Mayor Brandon Johnson may be already campaigning for a second term.
That would appear so, given the full-page ad that ran in the Chicago Sun-Times last week that touted Johnson’s eight-month record in City Hall.
“Brandon Johnson is the people’s mayor,” the ad declares in its headline, which is accompanied by a photo of an animated Johnson. “He has worked to pass the most progressive legislation of any major city in the country,” it says, ticking off a list of his accomplishments, including “reopening mental health clinics” and $250 million in support for the unhoused.”
The ad discloses that it was “paid for by Southside Chicagoans.” That would be a pretty large group, right?
The day after the ad appeared, Johnson visited with seniors at a bingo game at a venue on the Near Northwest Side. When reporters asked about the ad, he said he knew nothing about who was behind it. But Johnson was happy to parrot........
© Chicago Tribune
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Rami G Khouri
Mort Laitner
Donald Low
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
