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Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson is the most unpopular mayor in Chicago’s undistinguished history. Just 14% of residents in the city approve of his administration. 

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How unpopular is he compared to other city political and civic leaders?

Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis Gates (who sends her kid to private school, by the way) has a dismal -8 approval rating. The Chicago public school system is at -16 net favorability, which at least leaves it a little better off than the Teacher’s Union, which is at -21 favorability, and Brandon Johnson’s handpicked new school board, which brings up the rear at -34.

But Johnson is about to become even more unpopular after his 2025 budget was revealed today. After running against former school CEO Paul Vallas (the only politician in Chicago with a plus approval rating) on a platform promising no hikes in property taxes, Johnson is proposing to boost the tax by $300 million. This is an astonishingly cynical act even in a city known for its cynicism.

There’s a one billion dollar hole in the budget courtesy of (wait for it) the Chicago Teacher’s Union (CTU), whose new contract is a cornucopia of goodies and ludicrous radical left codicils. And now, the teachers are collecting on the debt that Johnson owes. 

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The CTU went “all-in” on Johnson’s election. It was a frightening look into the future of America’s biggest cities. The cities will not be controlled directly by mobsters. Instead, it will be corrupt municipal unions that will call the shots.

WBEZ:

The budget proposal — Johnson’s second — marks a major flip-flop on his cornerstone campaign promise to not raise property taxes on Chicago homeowners, and comes on the heels of what the mayor’s office said was an “excruciating process” to close the gap.

Homeowners will see an estimated 4% increase in the city portion of their property bills as a result of the increase, the mayor’s office told WBEZ.

The hike would be the first property tax increase by the city since 2022, after former Mayor Lori Lightfoot opted out of a property tax increase her final year in office, and Johnson opted not to increase the rates last year. The increase represents one of the biggest in recent years, compared to Lightfoot’s increases.

As is his custom, Johnson blamed others for a mess he largely created.

“We just have had irresponsible administration after administration that has kicked the can down the road, and now it’s in front of my door,” Johnson said in a briefing with reporters. “…This was a very excruciating process, but it’s one that I recognize in this moment, that the alternative is just not acceptable.”

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What were some alternatives? He might have leaned on his friends in the Teacher’s Union to recognize the funding crisis and dial back their contract demands. Demands like a 9% salary increase, more support staff, and smaller class sizes (more teachers).

Johnson instituted a hiring freeze but has hired hundreds of cronies to fill choice positions. Now, with the budget hole, Johnson is once again promising not to hire or fire anyone.

Johnson has angered almost everyone in the city, including Chicago’s Jewish community. Over the weekend, a Jewish man wearing a kippah and walking to synagogue in a known Orthodox Jewish neighborhood was shot without reason. He had been targeted by Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, who allegedly shot at an ambulance and police officers before they returned fire and arrested him.

Johnson issued a pro forma statement on the shooting which said, in part: “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the victim and his loved ones from this weekend’s shooting incident that took place in Rogers Park. All Chicagoans deserve to feel safe and protected across the city. There is more work to be done, and we are committed to diligently improving community safety in every neighborhood.”

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“The Mayor’s Office is in close communication with the Chicago Police Department as the investigation continues. All Chicagoans deserve to feel safe and protected across the city. There is more work to be done, and we are committed to diligently improving community safety in every neighborhood,” he added. 

Compare that mealy statement with his tweet about the death of a six-year-old Palestinian boy who was stabbed to death by his Chicago landlord last year: “We grieve alongside his family and the Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities in our state as we reckon with this unthinkable loss.” 

I would quote more from that tweet except Johnson deleted it. And he deleted the tweet about the Jewish man being shot as well. In Brandon Johnson’s Chicago, burying the truth is the primary means of political survival.