Mayor Johnson appointee steps down hours after being named to city role amid controversy

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There was turmoil inside Chicago City Hall Friday as one of Mayor Brandon Johnson's appointments to a high-profile working group stepped down just hours after he was announced to the position.

Some Jewish groups in Chicago took issue with past actions from the appointee, Ishan Daya.

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Daya ran for political office in 2023 but withdrew from that race after video came to light showing him removing a poster of an Israeli hostage held by Hamas. His mayoral appointment, though short-lived, drew outrage from Chicago's only Jewish alderperson, Debra Silverstein of the North Side's 50th Ward.

"The mayor has spoken to me about making amends to the Jewish community, but it's just one mistake after another. I'm actually appalled," Silverstein said.

Alderwoman Silverstein reacted to Mayor Johnson's appointment of Ishan Daya, co-director of the Institute for the Public Good, to the Chicago Fiscal Sustainability Working Group.

Daya, who previously ran for 32nd Ward Democratic committeeperson, said he left the mayor's group "in the interest of the work to support a budget... that advances the needs of working class folks in this city."

"We're pleased that this individual will not have a position of authority, but we're deeply concerned that he was appointed in the first place," said David Goldenberg, Anti-Defamation League Midwest Regional Director.

In 2023, Daya left that committeeperson race after video showed him removing a poster of an Israeli hostage.

Daya told ABC7, "As it relates to the budget working group - in the interest of the work to support a budget that advances the needs of working class folks in this city, Julie Dworkin will be the representative for the Institute for the Public Good.

I understand that my actions in 2023 caused pain within some members of our Jewish community, and for that, I am truly sorry. While I took issue with language on the poster that I felt was racist and dehumanizing toward Palestinians, I see that the act itself was hurtful to families longing for their loved ones' return and for that I apologize. I've spent my career working across lines of difference, and anyone who has worked with me can attest to my deep opposition to antisemitism, hate, and bigotry in all its forms."

The mayor's appointment of Daya came after a meeting last month with Silverstein to try to mend fences with the Jewish community.

"We do not feel like the mayor and the city of Chicago have our back, and as much as we try to get that message across, I feel like it's really going nowhere," Silverstein said.

Messages left by ABC7 for the mayor's office requesting comment were not returned.