Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » Today’s quotable
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax      Advertise Here      About     Exclusive Subscriber Content     Updated Posts    Contact Rich Miller
CapitolFax.com
To subscribe to Capitol Fax, click here.
Today’s quotable

Friday, Sep 5, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Alice Yin at the Tribune

Speaking at a panel at the Hideout, the mayor again blasted state leaders and called upon them to give Chicago home rule authority to implement new levies because they aren’t “bold” enough to do it themselves. Then without naming him, Johnson appeared to take a shot at Pritzker by comparing the two-term governor and possible candidate in the 2028 presidential race to the governor’s political nemesis, Republican President Donald Trump.

“It is derelict of duty, quite frankly, to have all of this blue power and to make an excuse of why we can’t exercise our power. It’s no different than my complaint or quite frankly my frustration with the president,” Johnson said. “You have Democrats in this country or in Illinois who make excuses of why we can’t show up for working people, and then their cop out is, ‘Well, Mayor Brandon Johnson.’ This is the same mayor that went on a hunger strike.”

Johnson argued the reluctance from Springfield to move on his demand for Chicago Public Schools to receive $1.6 billion more — the mayor’s white whale goal, and one that few believe he can achieve soon given the lack of appetite in the Illinois General Assembly amid an austere budget — is not because of lack of funds. “The money is there,” Johnson countered before casting state leaders as tepid.

“They have supermajorities in both houses,” the mayor said about Illinois Democrats. “We occupy the governor’s mansion. Why are we so afraid to stand up for working people and poor people? It just doesn’t make any sense. It’s unconscionable.”

* One more from Alice…


       

29 Comments »
  1. - Pundent - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 11:56 am:

    Well I’ll take it as a positive sign that Mayor Johnson is frustrated with the leadership in the city. I think the voters will do something about that in the not too distant future .


  2. - Juice - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:00 pm:

    “The money is there”

    Before he became Mayor, that was what the CTU had constantly argued was the case with CPS. That CPS and City Hall were sitting on mounds of cash, but were just hoarding it for…reasons.

    Now that CPS has hired multiple consultants who have told them that the money is in fact, not there, it appears their new theory is that Lori and Pedro must have filled a couple of dump trucks filled with cash and driven it down 55 for no other reason than to screw kids enrolled in CPS?

    He says the money is there. The city of Chicago budget is primarily for police and fire. Yet he has not been willing to reduce spending on anything in his budget.

    The state, by contrast, primarily spends its money on health care, human services, and education. So which of those three items would Mayor Johnson propose cutting for the purpose of sending more money to CPS.

    (Setting aside the funds spent on pensions for both the City and State, of course.)


  3. - ChicagoBars - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:16 pm:

    By all means get those Bring Chicago Home referendum petitions back out on the street Mayor…2026 election is coming, you can still run that referendum back in front of Chicago voters without needing any Statehouse action….


  4. - Rudy’s teeth - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:20 pm:

    MBJ follows the template of his colleague SDG. All rhetoric, all complaints and yet no solutions. Is MBJ aware of the axiom “do more with less.”
    If he were, MBJ should examine ways in which to function with existing funds rather than demand more. MBJ, the cupboard is bare.


  5. - Steve - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:23 pm:

    Mayor Johnson is asking for more money and power for Chicago. Can’t say now isn’t the time. There are other big cities with a city income tax. Chicago does need new revenue for the coming deluge of city workers retiring with $100,000 a year pensions.


  6. - Nerd Herddddd - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:24 pm:

    Maybe Johnson can start by pointing out where the money only he can see is. Maybe reporters can start asking him that.


  7. - Been There - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:27 pm:

    ====“It is derelict of duty, quite frankly, to have all of this blue power and to make an excuse of why we can’t exercise our power.=====

    Well, someone should tell the mayor that not all us democrats are far left big thinkers like he is.
    Probably a lot more than he thinks. If the dem party goes harder to the left we don’t stand a chance in DC and eventually our base in Springfield will erode.


  8. - TinyDancer(FKASue) - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:27 pm:

    Yeah. This is why I chose to skip this Hideout event.
    The next mayoral election can’t come soon enough.


  9. - ChicagoBars - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:29 pm:

    Steve…

    Serious question: Even if the Statehouse could be persuaded to allow Chicago to pass a municipal income tax…wouldn’t State law ALSO need to be changed to allow retirement income to be taxed by the City of Chicago?

    https://tax.illinois.gov/questionsandanswers/answer.99.html

    Snarky question…how many votes are there going to be in the Statehouse to go on record in favor of taxing retirement income anywhere in Illinois for any reason?


  10. - Candy Dogood - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:36 pm:

    === Why are we so afraid to stand up for working people and poor people? It just doesn’t make any sense. It’s unconscionable.===

    This pretty much describes the trend over the last few decades for the Democratic Party and why the Democratic Party has lost a lot of the working class voters that they used to be able to reliably vote on.

    The statement might not apply to the current topic that the Mayor is speaking to, but it is a sentiment that a lot of us feel day to day.


  11. - RNUG - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:37 pm:

    == from Springfield to move on his demand for Chicago Public Schools ==

    Assuming the quote is accurate, the use of the word *demand* is a clear indication Brandon doesn’t have what it takes to play politics with the big boys.


  12. - Steve - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:39 pm:

    State law would need to be changed for retirement income to be taxed. Answer to the snarky question:

    There are more votes to for increasing taxes than cutting back on public sector pensions. The revenue has to come from somewhere to pay for Illinois sized government. I’m no fan of Mayor Johnson, but bills have to be paid and pensions aren’t going to be cut. Instituting a city income tax is more viable than cutting pensions.


  13. - JS Mill - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:40 pm:

    =“It is derelict of duty, quite frankly, to have all of this blue power and to make an excuse of why we can’t exercise our power.=

    Real dereliction is creating a problem and then failing to solve it yourself.

    And it isn’t “blue power”.

    =ust because you get knocked down and it doesn’t go your way, you don’t just give up. That’s that to me, that’s cowardly, quite frankly.=

    Such a self own. When did he run a property tax increase referendum? When did he put the issue back to the city council. The guy is not a grown up and he is a prime example of the failure of CTU at leading.


  14. - 47th Ward - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:55 pm:

    ===Instituting a city income tax is more viable than cutting pensions.===

    Having lived in Chicago under several different mayors, what makes you think the city would impose an income tax and still not pay the pensions? Are you new here?


  15. - Telly - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:57 pm:

    To what end do Brandon and SD-G use this supercharged rhetoric? Is it to: a) shame and intimidate the General Assembly into taking action; or b) to simply shift the blame to Springfield. I wanna say the answer is b, but I’m not sure they think that rationally. They might actually think, against all evidence, that the bomb throwing works.


  16. - Casper the Ghost Bus - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 12:59 pm:

    Is he saying state funding for a Bears stadium isn’t his top priority anymore? Because I seem to remember a news conference where the mayor put on quite a performance.


  17. - pragmatist - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 1:03 pm:

    Brandon Johnson is on a crusade to use his platform to blame everyone else for his failures. His allies spend more time alienating people with lefty word jumbled instead of finding ways to move their issues. Bring Chicago Home is the perfect example. It didn’t fail because of business interests. It failed because it was an arrogant, poorly conceived, poorly staffed, poorly run, weirdly angry campaign that set back advocates.


  18. - Grandson of Man - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 1:05 pm:

    “They have supermajorities in both houses”

    The mayor was in politics when state Democrats passed the Fair Tax, what’s he talking about? The voters rejected it, but it still did much better in Chicago than Johnson’s tax.

    Let the mayor and CTU build the statewide support for their legislative desires. Put the 60 and 30 on the board in Springfield. Or is it much easier to be like the Freedom Caucus, shouting emptily from the sidelines.


  19. - Leslie K - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 1:28 pm:

    As is frequently the case, I would like to second JS Mill’s comment.


  20. - 47th Ward - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 1:33 pm:

    Brandon Johnson is no Dale Carnegie.


  21. - Rumple Stiltskin - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 1:39 pm:

    === Let the mayor and CTU build the statewide support for their legislative desires. ===

    There is no shortage of support among the Illinois General Asssembly for increasing the funding for public education, as long as it benefits school districts across the state and not just Chicago.

    Including a tax increase.

    As I think has been pointed out previously, no Democrat has ever lost re-election to the statehouse because they voted for a tax hike.

    But neither legislative leader is going to put a tax increase on the floor for a vote if they know that it is going to be vetoed by the Governor.

    Pritzker has put a brick on new revenue.

    Just watch how quckly they pass a tax hike for the Bears once the governor gets behind a plan, which he seems much more willing to do now that The Bears have hired one of his former staffers as a lobbyist.

    Perhaps the thing to do is to provide any additional revenue does not kick in for CPS until after a fully-elected school board is seated, since animus with the current mayor is a political sticking point. Or maybe CPS just needs to knuckle down and hire lobbyists that have a working relationship with Pritzker.

    But lets not pretend that Pritzker is not the most powerful Democrat in Illinois, and that it is somehow possible to do an end-run around him politically. All Johnson can do is try to torpedo Pritzker’s presidential ambitions at this point, and he is halfway there. It will be almost impossible for JB to get the coveted AFL-CIO endorsement if the CTU opposes him.

    The AFL-CIO has its first woman President,. Its VP is the highest ranking Black leader in the history of the AFL and grew up on Chicago’s Southside. Two American Federation of Teachers’ leaders on its Executive Board.

    I do not think Pritzker can oppose the CTU and win the Democratic nomination for President. More important, I do not think Stacy Davis Gates believes he can oppose the CTU and win the Democratic nomination.

    CTU has always played the long game. They beat Rahm. Food for thought.


  22. - Pundent - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 1:45 pm:

    =They might actually think, against all evidence, that the bomb throwing works.=

    I don’t think that either Stacy Gates or Brandon Johnson are serious about solving the problem. They simply want somebody else to take care of it for them. And neither of them like being told what to do. They don’t want to make up the shortfall from Chicago taxpayers and they take an approach that all but guarantees they won’t be getting the revenue from Illinois taxpayers.


  23. - City Zen - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 1:47 pm:

    Brandon is quickly running out of runway to get anything done. Even if Springfield gives Chicago more taxing power, it would take time to pass both Springfield and Chicago. And if it does pass, it won’t start in time for Brandon to do anything with that revenue prior to Chicago primary season. If anything, his replacement will benefit.

    Brandon put all his eggs in the Bring Chicago Home basket and lost. Now he’s doubling down on the blame game because that’s all he’s got left. He truly never understood the job. The organizer couldn’t organize.


  24. - pragmatist - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 1:54 pm:

    Rumple Stiltskin- you make fine points but things have changed for CTU since the pandemic. They are not as popular and being as far left as they are has turned people off. Parents still remember their attempts to stay remote well beyond reason.

    At the height of their popularity, they had a great foil: Rahm. Plus a narrative of fighting the power. Today, they are the power and have failed miserably to wield it.

    Regarding Pritzker’s presidential ambitions: I don’t think CTU is all that popular with their fellow public unions or trades here in Chicago/IL. They are still formidable. I wouldn’t count them out. But I do expect them to do dumb things so they count themselves out of the conversation. Remember JB didn’t need CTU to win in 2018 and being a billionaire certainly helps. My two $$


  25. - City Zen - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 1:57 pm:

    ==It will be almost impossible for JB to get the coveted AFL-CIO endorsement if the CTU opposes him.==

    If history is any indicator, AFL-CIO will withhold their endorsement until well into the Democratic primaries then endorse whoever Dem is in the lead.

    THe WRA passed under JB. To think he wouldn’t get the union nomination due a tiff with a dysfunctional affilalte is silly.


  26. - JS Mill - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 2:18 pm:

    =Just watch how quckly they pass a tax hike for the Bears once the governor gets behind a plan, which he seems much more willing to do now that The Bears have hired one of his former staffers as a lobbyist.=

    All evidence to the contrary.


  27. - TNR - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 2:36 pm:

    == why the Democratic Party has lost a lot of the working class voters ==

    From minimum wage, to progressive taxation, to union protections, to probably a dozen other issues, the Democratic Party is inarguably infinitely better to working class folks than the GOP. Yet the migration of voters toward the GOP continues. I think that has more to do with the Dem Party being out of step with working class folks on social and cultural issues than it has to do with the party not pushing hard enough on economic issues.


  28. - Pundent - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 2:55 pm:

    = things have changed for CTU since the pandemic.=

    They’ve also taken their fight from the Mayor’s office to the Governor’s office. It’s a fight they aren’t prepared for and the tactics that work within the city are far less effective outside of it.


  29. - Ducky - Friday, Sep 5, 25 @ 2:56 pm:

    The Mayor is right. There is money to pay off all this pension debt. It’s called raising property taxes. And the amazing thing is that he can propose to do so and the Council can vote to do so. And he doesn’t need JB to do anything at all.


TrackBack URI

Anonymous commenters, uncivil comments, rumor-mongering, disinformation and profanity of any kind will be deleted.

(required)

(not required)



* Isabel’s afternoon roundup
* Trump administration investigating Medicaid spending on immigrants in Illinois, other Democratic states
* Today's quotable
* Roundup: Chicago braces for ICE raids
* Pritzker slams DeSantis over end of vaccine mandates
* What Illinois Can Learn From Texas On Battery Energy Storage
* Isabel’s morning briefing
* Good morning!
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today's edition
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today's edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
* Selected press releases (Live updates)
* Live coverage
* Yesterday's stories

Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............


Loading


Main Menu
Home
Illinois
YouTube
Pundit rankings
Obama
Subscriber Content
Durbin
Burris
Blagojevich Trial
Advertising
Updated Posts
Polls

Archives
September 2025
August 2025
July 2025
June 2025
May 2025
April 2025
March 2025
February 2025
January 2025
December 2024
November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004

Blog*Spot Archives
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005

Syndication

RSS Feed 2.0
Comments RSS 2.0




Hosted by MCS SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax Advertise Here Mobile Version Contact Rich Miller