Today’s quotable
Friday, Sep 8, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
Two head-turning moments.
Along with goals to hire more detectives, pass “treatment not trauma” and address the “mental health crisis,” Johnson said he will consider his administration successful “when people are not living in tents.” It probably was a reference to the unhoused, but given a report just a few hours earlier about a plan to build tent cities for asylum seekers, his comment had us wondering.
And get this: Johnson took credit for bringing the 2024 Democratic Convention to Chicago. The decision was announced after his election, though it was well-known to Thursday night’s crowd that for two-plus years Sen. Tammy Duckworth, governor’s chief of staff Anne Caprara, Lightfoot and political consultant Kaitlin Fahey worked to land the 2024 event. If Johnson was being funny, the joke didn’t land with the crowd.
…Adding… Check this out from Block Club Chicago…
Alderpeople will be briefed on the city’s updated plans Friday, said [Ald. Andre Vasquez], who chairs the City Council’s Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights. […]
Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33rd) told Block Club that although she doesn’t know yet what Johnson’s plan is, she doesn’t think the tents are a permanent solution.
Giving a couple of reporters some insufficient details before briefing alderpeople and stakeholders is not the wisest move I’ve ever seen.