Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson reflects on 100 days in office, city's challenges
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke with ABC7 today about his first 100 days in office as he faces challenges including crime and the ongoing migrant crisis.
Johnson spoke often about collaboration in dealing with some of the more pressing issues facing Chicago, but as he maneuvers the transition from union organizer to big city mayor he's taking a measured approach.
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The mayor called his first 100 days in office an incredible journey.
"I've been all over the city of Chicago. And everywhere I go, people are feeling the excitement, the energy has shifted in the city," he said.
Johnson touted among his successes movement on his Bring Chicago Home initiative to help the homeless, and his efforts to revamp the approach to policing so it incorporates his campaign promise of utilizing mental health experts for some 911 calls.
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"We're moving toward actually passing that, we've actually shifted the dynamic in the city of Chicago as we prepare to confirm our next police superintendent," Johnson said. "I don't know we've ever had a police superintendent talk about treatment not trauma. I mean, that's what I ran on."
Johnson said believes the summer job program, which hired 24,000 youth, helped contributed to this year's drop in murders and shootings. But a rash of overnight robberies is still a concern. The policy of police pursuits is also under scrutiny, and we asked if he thought it may need to be modified.
"I think what we have to do is to make sure that we're collaborating with very single level of government," the mayor said.
The goal of keeping the Bears in the city is also still very much a work in progress.
"I'm very much committed to listening and collaborating with people. That is my style of leadership and our conversations thus far with Kevin Warren, I find them I found them to be quite useful and encouraging," he said.
But Johnson also has to deal with the public relations fallout from his comments about destructive behavior by large groups of teens downtown. On August 2, he said "to refer to children like baby Al Capones is not appropriate," and on April 19 he said, "Look, demonizing children is wrong."
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"I made this very clear the first time it happened before I was sworn in. I said I don't condone any of that behavior. And I've said it repeatedly," he said. "I don't condone that behavior."
He's also dealt with pushback and fallout of his decision to have CDPH head Dr. Allison Arwady unceremoniously fired, contrary to his call for those in his administration to be compassionate, collaborative and competent.
"I don't believe it's right to discuss the termination of a public employee. I don't believe it's morally right," Johnson said.
Johnson also continues to push to get migrants out of police stations and into more suitable housing, noting that since he's taken office 90 more buses of families have arrived in Chicago.
"And so what I'm going to continue to do is to collaborate with every single level of government including of course, pushing the federal government to provide support that is needed here, while also maintaining the status of being a sanctuary space," he said.
Johnson also said he's proud of his progress towards getting rid of the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers.
