* Click here for the story. Reps. Morgan and Didech and Sen. Feigenholtz…
* Gov. Pritzker was asked about this today…
If you’re asking whether I condone the remarks that were made, I do not. And I must say that to the extent that someone has put up for a position, especially one as important as chair of the Chicago schools, I think vetting is vitally important. That doesn’t seem to have occurred here.
And all I can say is that I think we should hear from the chair more about what his positions really are. He’s written things, but, you know, people can change, theoretically, change their views.
I also think that the record should be more examined. I haven’t seen all the detail, but I understand there’s quite a lot that he has posted online. And so I, there’s more to come. And I think, you know, judgment should be, least a thorough final judgment should be withheld pending a look at that.
Q: Should that have been done before they picked him?
Pritzker: I said that, yeah. I mean, you’re supposed to vet people. Look, can you miss things in peoples’ vets, sure. But it feels like Facebook posts are pretty easy to find. And so, you know, we need to, you do have to ask question, who vetted, you know, and again, sometimes people say things. I just want to be clear, it is possible that people write things or say things that they didn’t mean, you know, in the heat of passion one time or twice. So if that’s the case, the chair should say something about that. If that’s not the case, and this is somebody’s lifelong record, I think, for example, Donald Trump is an example of somebody who has a very long record, and I think it’s fairly straightforward. So I just want to be clear that more vetting should’ve been done.
Please pardon any transcription errors.
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:06 am:
I hope local TV stations replay the clip of the Mayor saying indignantly during the appointment press conference that his administration is appointing the members and vetting them afterwards.
- AlfondoGonz - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:09 am:
I am disappointed in myself for thinking it couldn’t be worse than Lori Lightfoot.
- So_Ill - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:10 am:
Has any Illinois politician ever had this many unforced errors in so little time?
I can’t tell if Johnson is incompetent or trying to no be re-elected.
- You win more bees with honey - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:12 am:
The governor is not wrong. The mayor, however, has many inexperienced people around him at this point. He has chosen friends over experienced leaders.
Should the third largest city in the country, the greatest freaking city in the world, be led by a group of newbies figuring out things day by day? It seems like an excellent way to get to sub-20 approval and above 70 disapproval.
- Chicagoan voter - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:12 am:
You’re not alone, Alfredo.
- Lincoln Lad - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:12 am:
The legislators are right. Will the Board President step down or will he first argue that his statements were ok to make? Will he apologize or double down? It doesn’t matter, another self inflicted wound for the Mayor who continues to be his own worst enemy.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:14 am:
===mayor, however, has many inexperienced people around him===
I’ve been doing this a very long time. While the occasional mistake has been caused by inexperienced staff, the principal has always been the real problem.
- Montrose - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:17 am:
I think he was vetted, but the Mayor’s team’s vetting process is very different from what the Governor’s team would do. Seeing various CTU leaders on twitter defending the social media comments the new CPS board president made indicates they knew about them and thought they were ok.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:21 am:
Golly, is there any city government executive position that Reverends aren’t qualified for? I’d ask when a Reverend is going to run for office but nobody’s taking that pay cut. Mayors have to pay taxes.
- Google Is Your Friend - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:22 am:
==Sen. Feigenholtz…==
A little hard to take this outrage seriously from someone who in the House refused to call Black staffers by their name. No, we don’t all look the same and don’t have the same name either, Senator.
- Rudy’s teeth - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:22 am:
MBJ’s selection of a leader of the School Board is another example of his failure to vet an appointment. This morass falls on Brandon Johnson’s shoulders.
Might be time for MBJ to acquire a leadership team that is independent of his CTU associates.
- PublicServant - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:25 am:
Another unforced error. I don’t expect them to stop.
- Beep booop - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:29 am:
Mayor Brandon Johnson had quite the one-two punch today…Antisemitism and property tax hikes.
- Walker - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:31 am:
Daniel Didech is right on all three points.
Straight up ignorance and prejudice is part of what’s wrong with this guy, and disqualifying in education leadership.
- Alton Sinkhole - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:31 am:
You have to wonder how on Earth the Reverend didn’t expect this to get brought up at some point.
Two theories
1) He’s an incredibly unintelligent individual
2) He doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
Maybe a little of both.
- Hank Sauer - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:32 am:
Ahh Illinois
- EP1082 - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:33 am:
Who said he wasn’t vetted? It seems from some of MBJ’s other actions that this type of person is acceptable to him.
- TJ - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:40 am:
I’d call Johnson incompetent, but that’d be an upgrade for what he actually is and an insult to the many that are merely incompetent themselves.
Full stop, a Veep-styled HBO series about an identical Mayor Johnson would barely need to be fictionalized.
- fs - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:42 am:
==And all I can say is that I think we should hear from the chair more about what his positions really are. He’s written things, but, you know, people can change, theoretically, change their views.==
His response could’ve done without this. The chair’s statements weren’t ten years ago, they were 10 months ago. As the old saying goes: “When people show you who they are, believe them.”
- 44 - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:43 am:
JB almost giving the benefit of the doubt here. Ah JB these tweets were all in the last year. How much further do you need to dig dude? Rotten process and rotten result. Step up and help.
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:48 am:
Antisemitism is rampant in the mayor’s office, at CPS and at CTU. Enough.
- Chicagonk - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:49 am:
Interestingly his bio says that he has been a consultant for AEP which is a predominantly Jewish fraternity. I couldn’t see if that was a recent edit or not (nothing had been previously archived).
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:50 am:
=That doesn’t seem to have occurred here.=
I am guessing it did and they don’t care or, even worse, agree.
Johnson is running Chicago like it was Watseka. And badly. On the 1-4 (1 being the worst) teacher rating scale Johnson is a -1.
- TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:51 am:
Johnson wanted a board full of yes-men. That was his vetting process.
It probably didn’t matter at all what turned up in their backgrounds, as a full agreement with Johnson would override any otherwise disqualifying acts.
The mayor has had plenty of time to learn the ropes. Making excuses that this is some unforced error still relies on the assumption that he would have made a different decision with full knowledge. I’m no longer sure that is a correct assumption to be using when analyzing his actions.
- Rahm's Parking Meter - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:52 am:
I am an AEPi, he spoke once per the story and I believe the leadership.
- Louis G Atsaves - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 11:53 am:
Those comments appear to be pretty recent. Didn’t this Mayor cast a tie breaker vote against Israel this year? Birds of a feather can also crash together.
- low level - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 12:00 pm:
Johnson’s vetting process is if the person is moderate and / or shows common sense, it is a red flag. Cant hire someone like that. They look for clueless people w radical views who will obey Johnson no matter what. If you fit that category, then you are all good. Its the 5th Floor Twilight Zone.
- Rudy’s teeth - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 12:00 pm:
There isn’t a shovel large enough for Brandon Johnson to dig himself out of this hole. One bad decision follows the next.
Does Johnson listen to no one except the face in his mirror?
- Beep booop - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 12:06 pm:
To be fair that face in the mirror has $80k worth of haircuts and makeup
- ChrisB - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 12:21 pm:
This is the same guy who still has that he lives in Calumet City as one of the first google results. I get that he has since moved, but you’d think the Mayor’s people would have at least done a few searches to see what came up.
I’ve vetted potential interns more than this.
- Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 12:23 pm:
===That doesn’t seem to have occurred here. ===
There “here” in this case can refer to any public position within the State of Illinois. For as big and as important as we are, there simply isn’t a whole lot of vetting that occurs.
That should change.
- Leslie K - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 12:35 pm:
I do not believe for a second that this was a vetting failure. MBJ has demonstrated before that he sees nothing wrong with such antisemitic positions. Hopefully there will be consequences, begining with CTU candidates losing their board races on Tuesday and going from there.
- Flapdoodle - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 12:43 pm:
Will everyone please just stop asking if the Mayor can keep screwing up like this . . . he’s taking it as a personal challenge.
- Cubs in '16 - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 12:45 pm:
===While the occasional mistake has been caused by inexperienced staff, the principal has always been the real problem.===
This. Stop blaming staffers. As OW used to say, ‘Believe people when they tell you who they are.’
- Pundent - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 12:50 pm:
When you consider the terms, conditions, and expectations upon which the reverend ascended to this position, none of this should be a surprise. He was selected to fulfill the Mayor’s objectives and his views on Israel and its people will be seen as inconsequential. As such, I’m not expecting Johnson to do anything here.
- Lurker - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 12:57 pm:
Quite a day for the mayor but he’s missing misogyny on the trifecta as I’ve only heard accepted antisemitism and (property) tax hike. I guess it’s still early
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 1:09 pm:
Flapdoodle wins the day. Maybe even the month.
- Two Left Feet - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 2:14 pm:
Superintendent search: do you want to work with a Board President that is antisemitic, anti-Israel and pro-Hamas, while at the same time being an equal opportunity employer and providing equal educational opportunities to all students?
- CornAl DoGooder - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 2:19 pm:
As sad as it is, this kind of unforced error is almost unsurprising at this point. Wonder if anyone is looking into the CTU-endorsed candidates for the board to see if any of them have made similar comments? Wouldn’t surprise me at all
- Joe Biden Playing Golf - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 2:22 pm:
Saying that Sara Feingenholtz “refused to call Black staffers by their name” is a very series accusation…
- Henry Francis - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 2:40 pm:
Sure the Mayor has made some missteps, but at least we know he doesn’t do raggedy.
- Peaky Blinders - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 2:52 pm:
Ahh Illinois
- Thomas Paine - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 3:31 pm:
=== A little hard to take this outrage seriously from someone who in the House refused to call Black staffers by their name. ===
Whataboutism rears its ugly head.
Fortunes would rise and fall if we passed the hat every time a lawmaker got some staffer’s name wrong.
The only solution is Bill Filan’s, My Friend.
- granville - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 6:00 pm:
On the plus side: nobody’s asking about the Lil Durk donation today!
- Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Oct 30, 24 @ 7:46 pm:
I think it would be swell if someone used this story as an opportunity to ask for very specific details from at least three state reps about what their vetting process looks like for their legislative staff and their campaign staff.
There has been and continues to be a really lax attitude towards vetting within the political and policy sector in Illinois because for decades the manner in which positions were filled in the state were essentially the opposite of the principles that lead to a good and solid foundation of vetting.
Who is doing the vetting for the state legislature? Who is doing the vetting for legislative and statewide races? Is there someone out there with a title like director of vetting, or deputy director of vetting?