The budget director announced her resignation Monday. It comes just days after the city's CFO stepped down.
At a news conference Tuesday, the mayor was pushed about the timing of these changes.
Mayor Johnson said he is praying for Annette Guzman and her family as he explains that her departure was a personal decision to care for her mother.
Guzman leaves behind a decade of experience in Chicago government, following years in senior financial leadership at Cook County.
Guzman is the second member of the budget team to announce a departure in a week. Last Friday, the city's chief financial officer, Steven Mahr, also left his position.
The decisions have opened the mayor up to criticism about the stability of his office. Mayor Johnson, though, making it clear that he is the consistent
"Even after, you know, others have transitioned out, it has not stopped us from building the safest, most affordable big city in America. The work speaks for itself, right? And as long as the mission, the vision that I have put forth is carried out and executed by the team that's around me, the city of Chicago will remain stable in my administration and leadership," Mayor Johnson said.
"I think it shows more than anything else is instability and the perception of instability. And this is exactly the worst time in this administration to be presenting an image of an unstable government of a government that's not in charge," ABC7 Political Expert Laura Washington said.
The staffing changes comes on the heels of a troublesome mid-year budget update from the mayor's finance team. Still, Mayor Johnson says while they will be prepared with a balance budget by October, his office has been able to achieve a decrease in violence, more affordable housing and revitalized downtown.
Meanwhile, Guzman's deputy, Jonathan Ernst, will step in as acting budget director.