Business leaders warm to Johnson

Presented by bp: Shia Kapos' must-read rundown of political news in the Land of Lincoln

Apr 10, 2023 View in browser   By Shia Kapos and Marissa Martinez Presented by Happy Monday, Illinois! This is Marissa Martinez, state policy and national politics reporter, taking over for Shia Kapos this week. First, her dispatch from the business world: TOP TALKERS Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson is extending his hand to business leaders around Chicago, assuring them that he recognizes how important they are to the city’s economy. “It was crystal clear the mayor-elect respects the business community and crystal clear he wants to work collaboratively with the business community to drive inclusive economic growth for the whole city,” civic leader Michael Sacks, who heads Grosvenor Capital Management, told Playbook after his talk with Johnson. Sacks was an unofficial adviser to former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, now the U.S. ambassador to Japan. Starting on the right foot: Johnson’s conversations with business leaders have been friendly, though they have tiptoed around specifics on some of his proposals, including a $450 million in taxes on financial transactions, which he hopes Springfield lawmakers can help accomplish. A sit-down with JB: On Friday, Johnson met with Gov. JB Pritzker. After the meeting, the governor told reporters he has “not stood for a transaction tax” because he believes financial services companies would relocate their operations or their computer servers if one were enacted. The Tribune has more from that meeting. How they got here: During the hard-fought mayor’s race, business leaders expressed concern about Johnson’s tax proposals, his campaign rhetoric “about Black labor versus white wealth” and whether he will take action on public safety issues. Now Johnson is working to calm the waters. One of the first calls he made when he stepped off the stage on Election Night was to Michael Fassnacht, the president and CEO of World Business Chicago, a business and economic development organization that works with City Hall. Johnson also talked to Michael Jacobson, who heads the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, and to Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association. Rendering an opinion: “He called me, and we had a nice conversation,” Toia told Playbook. “He understands the culinary scene in Chicago and that it’s important to the economy. He’s progressive, yes, and he’s pragmatic. I told him I like being at the table, rather than on the menu. And he said, ‘You’ll be at the table.’” Unofficial cheerleading: Chicago attorney Graham Grady, who initially supported Paul Vallas for mayor but then shifted to Johnson, sent a letter to clients and civic leaders urging them to “embrace and support” the mayor-elect. — Obama called Johnson and gave him parenting advice, reports Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet — Another big phone call: In a private call with Biden, Johnson pitches Chicago for the 2024 Dem convention, by NBC’s Natasha Korecki — A DeSantis dig: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis trashed Brandon Johnson at a press event on Friday, saying Johnson’s public safety philosophy would prompt Chicagoans to leave for Florida. “We are gonna get more refugees as a result,” DeSantis said. A message from bp: bp employees in Illinois are keeping energy moving to keep America moving, too. Our team provides fuel for O’Hare flights, helps people power their cars, trades energy to keep the lights on and more. See more ways bp is investing in Illinois.   THE BUZZ The governor says Johnson’s election “absolutely” enhances Chicago’s chances of landing next year’s Democratic National Convention, Crain’s Justin Laurence writes. "He brings a real excitement to the job, I think, to the people of Chicago, and I think that's being felt in Washington, D.C.," Pritzker said. Data: WBEZ’s Amy Qin and the Chicago Sun-Times’ Alden Loury break down how Johnson won the mayor’s race. Johnson gained a majority of the 250,000 additional votes cast in the runoff, largely driven by his wins in the precincts Mayor Lori Lightfoot won in February. Vallas picked up less than 100 new precincts compared to February compared to Johnson’s nearly 500 new ones. Johnson also definitively won the Black vote, erasing Vallas’ earlier 60,000-plus vote lead. (Vallas notably took 80 percent of majority-Asian precincts.) Remember: As of April 8, Johnson had won 52.05 percent to Vallas’ 47.95 percent, and the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners will continue to count ballots until April 18. From Friday: How young voters helped make Brandon Johnson Chicago’s next mayor, by Block Club Chicago’s Mack Liederman   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     WHERE'S JB No official public events. WHERE'S LORI No official public events. Where's Toni No official public events. Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job or any other nugget for Playbook? I’d like to hear from you: skapos@politico.com, mmartinez@politico.com   A message from bp:   TAKING NAMES — What a coincidence: Gov. JB Pritzker headlines a Harvard Institute of Politics discussion today. He’s there at the invitation of Quentin Fulks, who led Sen. Raphael Warnock’s reelection bid in Georgia and was a top campaign aide to Pritzker in 2018. You can watch it here at 6 p.m. ET. And in an ironic twist, Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, who was behind the Republican effort trying to unseat Pritzker last year, is also speaking at Harvard. He’ll be there Tuesday for a fireside conversation with Harvard alums. THE STATEWIDES — Pritzker, Raoul say abortion pill access will be maintained in Illinois during court battle, by the Chicago Sun-Times’ Violet Miller — Governors State faculty to strike Tuesday, by the Chicago Tribune’s Zareen Syed CORRUPTION CHRONICLES — Legendary Madigan precinct captain set to testify in ‘ComEd Four’ trial, by the Chicago Tribune’s Ray Long and Jason Meisner   GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat.     CHICAGO — Brandon Johnson … From middle school teacher to Chicago mayor, by the Chicago Tribune’s Angie Leventis Lourgos — Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson calls Chicago ‘a tale of two cities.’ Can he make it whole? via the Chicago Tribune — Microsoft abandons project mapping Chicago’s air pollution, by MuckRock’s Dillon Bergin — Freaky in a good way: The new episode of Freakonomics Radio showcases the new Discover call center in Chatham on the South Side. Discover CEO Roger Hochschild tells host Stephen Dubner that there was a conscious effort to open the center in a community that would give Black Americans more opportunities. Listen here COOK COUNTY — Chicago Tribune’s Joe Mahr and Megan Crepeau take a deep dive into the delays behind the county’s murder cases — worse than New York City and Los Angeles — and their impact on the defendants. — Let the jockeying begin for Brandon Johnson’s Cook County Board seat, by WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch — Former governor candidate gets 4 years in prison for threatening Lake County judges: “Grayson K. Jackson, also known as Kash Jackson and Benjamin Winderweedle, 44, threatened to kill the two judges who presided over an ongoing civil case Jackson was party to during a call in October 2021 to the Lake County Sheriff's Court Security Office, officials said,” by Daily Herald’s Doug T. Graham.   A message from bp: The US is home to bp's largest workforce in the world, a team delivering the energy the world needs today, while increasing our investments in lower carbon alternatives for our future. See more ways bp is investing in America.   THE NATIONAL TAKE — Justice Clarence Thomas defends ‘family trips’ with GOP donor, by POLITICO's Ekaterina Pechenkina — Abortion was a 50/50 issue. Now, it’s Republican quicksand, by POLITICO's Steven Shepard — No one should be that shocked by what’s happening in Tennessee, by POLITICO's Natalie Allison HAPPY BIRTHDAY Civic leader Marci Holzer, author Stuart Dybek and BrEpic Communications CEO Justin Breen. -30-   Follow us on Twitter Shia Kapos @shiakapos   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.