PLAYBOOK Q&A: Mayor Brandon Johnson pushed back at critics who say he’s not doing anything to avoid chaos at the Democratic National Convention this August in Chicago. Top of mind: “Keeping people safe and protected is something that is a top priority for me,” Johnson told Playbook in an interview Saturday before he joined convention organizers to mark the event’s 100-day countdown. “Look, I'm working with local law enforcement, including our police department, the Secret Service to ensure that the convention is peaceful and safe. And yet it still has to be full of energy and vibrancy that ultimately propels President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris back into the White House,” the mayor said. Our interview has been edited for length and clarity: What’s the biggest challenge in putting on a successful convention? Dispelling myths, he said. “Homicides or shootings are down certainly, but there's still work to be done. I'm confident that the beauty of the soul of Chicago will be on full display.” You started your first year having to handle the migrant crisis. What is the plan for addressing it during the convention? “You’re already seeing a strong coordination between administration brought together and state and county resources. We don’t have a single person in our airports or our police stations right now. [And] not one bus has arrived in the city of Chicago since December. They’re going to the suburbs because the governor of Texas is not interested in any type of coordinated response. We have an operation that has been built around people's humanity, and we're going to continue to use the full force of government while still making critical investments in Chicago.” During your trip to Springfield last week, did you get a sense lawmakers might be willing to give an inch on the Bears or Chicago Public School students? Regarding school funding: “The state of Illinois recognizes that the algorithm or the funding formula that they voted on [in 2016] shows the people of Chicago are owed $1.1 billion. So that's just a fact. Now whether or not they decide to provide the city of Chicago what they deserve. I mean, that that's something that I'm going to continue to push for. But that really comes down to leadership in Springfield to determine whether or not the largest school district state of Illinois deserves its just right.” Regarding the Bears: “The proposal that the Bears have put forward provides public benefit and public use. It would build a dome stadium that gives public benefit and public use with billionaire dollars and visitor dollars [i.e. hotel taxes]. This stadium would not only be built by billionaires and visitors, it would be publicly owned. If someone thinks we can do better than 72 percent of it being financed by ownership and the other 28 percent with visitors, they should speak now.” One idea: “With the Inflation Reduction Act, there are countless opportunities for us to redo our infrastructure and do it, you know, in a sustainable way. And those infrastructure dollars that I'm calling for from the federal government, we will be applying for. It's not just about the lakefront. It's for the neighborhoods as well.” How is your relationship with the governor? “Look at what we've done together. I can't control how people characterize it, but I can tell you, the governor is going before the General Assembly requesting $182 million for this migrant mission. The governor made a commitment to the stand up shelters. I asked him to do it. He said yes. So this is the stuff that we have done together, you know. People can characterize it however they want, but the fact of the matter is, we've gotten work done, and we've done it together.” Can you talk about the stress of the job and how you’re handling it? “It's humbling to serve in this capacity. It has only been one year. I’m 100 percent certain that my first year in office is more substantial than any other administration's, from passing a sub-minimum wage ordinance to abolishing debt to expanding paid time off. There are the United and American Airlines deals. We're building affordable homes downtown. We've already had 100 affordable homes and another 700 are in the works. We've responded to the unhoused. We passed the largest bond deal in the history of Chicago to build homes and create economic development.” And personally, he added: “I'm riding my bike, eating healthy, and my wife and I are celebrating 26 years of marriage in a month.” The mayor’s been on a publicity blitz ahead of his taking the oath of office May 15, 2023. In a Tribune story headlined: Former activist grapples with being the boss, Johnson further addressed the migrant crisis, upheaval in the City Council and controversial votes: “I’m also proud that the city of Chicago led the way the beginning this year of passing a resolution calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza,” he said. “And I’m so grateful that I got a chance to vote to break the tie,” the Tribune’s Alice Yin, Jake Sheridan and A.D. Quig report.
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