Chicago budget battle, police superintendent search | The Chicago Report

Welcome to the Chicago Report. I'm Anita Blanton and happy Veterans Day. Thank you to all who have served from this daughter and sister of veterans. Budget hearings are now over here in the city, which means Mayor Johnson and City Council have until December 31st to agree on a budget plan for next year. 28 alder people say they will not. Support the proposal as long as it includes a new corporate head tax and higher lease taxes. Johnson says his office is working on new options, but the city has just 51 days left to reach a budget deal. Mayor Brandon Johnson tells Fox Chicago's political reporter, Brandon Pope, he is still bullish on key investment proposals. Great to be here on the West Side, your beloved West Side. Thank you, Todd. We're talking about the community violence intervention programs you have here. You're proposing another seven million dollars to up investment in this program for this work. What will that extra investment do that's not already happening? Our community violence intervention workers Thank you very much. have demonstrated that where they are present, we have seen a reduction in violence anywhere from 45 to 50 percent, right? And these are individuals who have been I'm involved in our criminal system. In fact, as they have returned back into the very communities in which they were traumatized and by God's grace, they've been able to show up for people, and not just as a reaction to violence, but more preventative. And so with the $7 million more into CVI, we are investing in improved practices. In fact, we're talking 390 to 400 additional positions that we will create to help support communities that really need it. Violence, of course, has declined in the city of Chicago, but a lot of skeptics say it's declined everywhere. What evidence do you have that the CVI program is really a big part of why the declines are happening here locally? Recently, a group of experts have come together, the Council on Criminal Justice. This is a nonpartisan, A think tank where these researchers who do this for a living all attribute CVI to the reduction of violence across America, right? And in fact, until I became mayor of the city of Chicago, there was not a concerted effort or a commitment from local government to invest in CVI. Between the evidence in cities across America, including, of course, ours chief amongst them, Along with the research, it's clear that CVI plays an incredible role in reducing violence. If some of your revenue proposals fail, is this something you are willing to protect? We most certainly have to protect this investment. It's literally saving lives. You know, In the summer of 2026, we had the safest summer since 1965. 2025, we had the fewest amount of homicides in 60 years. You know, the fact that our investments in CVI, the research also indicates that, you know, investing in social services, investing in programs like youth employment, these are contributing factors to driving violence down in Chicago. And so, you know, for me, you know, raising a family on the west side of Chicago, you know, this is especially important and it's Quite frankly, one of your funding proposals is the Equitable Employer Tax, or the Corporate Head Tax, as some also call it. There was a ballot question in four precincts where they asked voters what they think about it. Overwhelmingly, they said they want it. It just so happens that a lot of the older people representing those wards have come out against that. Do you believe that seeing things like that gives you more of a mandate to try to get this done, and how are you utilizing that in your budget negotiations? Well look, it's clear that the people of Chicago I want the ultra wealthy and big corporations to pay their fair share in taxes. In fact, this is something that's clear across the country. We saw this blue wave that has broken out all over the country. And if you look at the platforms in which people ran on, they ran on in making critical investments in neighborhoods. They ran on demanding that the ultra wealthy and big corporations contribute more. And so I hope that it's motivation for. These alders to know that they have the will of the people on their side. What if it's not? That becomes the biggest question. We saw this group of 28 that came out. That's down one from 29. So you're slowly making progress, it seems, but still not the numbers you need there. So is this your hard line, the equitable employer tax? Or is that something you can move out? Do you have a backup plan? You've been asked about that a lot. But like, it just seems like with 28 against. We're getting back to the same old, same old from last time where these alders decide we're just going to do our own budget. Well, here's the thing about the equitable employer's tax. Alders last year expressed concern about companies and corporations who do business in our communities on the west and south sides of the city. And we don't want those businesses to leave our community, which I understand that, right? We are the top You know, destination for corporate relocation 13 years in a row, the best big city in America 10 years in a row, right? So we have a lot to be proud of. The Magnificent Mile is back and there's economic development that's happening all over the city of Chicago. We want to keep that growth happening. And so what we did was with the equitable employers tax, we said, listen, if you are doing business and you are hiring people from socially, economically disadvantaged areas. You know, we will provide a rebate on that particular tax. So in other words, you won't have to pay it. But it seems that's not swaying some of these alders. Well, I mean, the conversations will continue. Listen, you know, these alders at some point, because it is their responsibility to pass a budget, it's my job to present a budget, and I have. And it's a balanced budget, and it speaks to the demands that people have. Called for it, right? This is not just about CVI and youth employment. It's about housing and homelessness, $30 million there. $30 million to provide some structural support to our libraries. $11 million to double the crews for our streets and sanitation's department, right? These are things that residents have overwhelmingly demanded that government delivers. And the fact that we're all in agreement around the investments. We have to figure out a pathway to invest in those demands. And so I'm calling on city council to provide us with some ideas. Up until this point, we have not received a bunch of them. But there are some revenue proposals that our team will continue to chase down. And I appreciate the alders who have brought some of those ideas to the table. It's not enough, right? But at least it's movement in the right direction. Some of these elders who are part of this block. Say that your office hasn't been negotiating with them, or they haven't heard from your office. What do you make of that? They're not being honest, Brian. I'm just going to cut to it. They're being dishonest, right? I've made multiple calls through several alders. Our team is working hard every single day to engage with the alders. This is unfortunate that we have some individuals that they're more interested in disruption. and dissent than they are with actually making progress so my number hasn't changed it's the same number our team is actively working to challenge these uh to challenge this moment to show up for working people and so i think people need to make it less about me and make it more about the demands of the people of chicago are calling for i've heard politicians express this Quite frankly, a real disappointing perspective around our people's desire to tax big corporations, as if somehow we don't understand what we are asking for. Well, the evidence is clear, I guess. Do you see the opposition as opposition to the ideas or opposition to you? That's a fair question. I don't know if I have a clear answer there. What I can say is that there's no mayor in modern history In Chicago, they can say that they have overseen the city at a time in which violence is going down and our economic prowess is... You know, resurging. This doesn't mean that I've done everything perfectly, right? I mean, I certainly have had my share of challenges along the way, but we have not closed schools. We have reopened mental health clinics and we had the safest summer since 1965. Is there more work to be done? Absolutely. But are we moving in the right direction? We certainly are and challenging these big corporations to put more skin in the game and moving away from militarization of our streets. That is an expectation that the people of Chicago have and even an independent think tank of researchers agree with my proposals and my platform and the fact that it's working, we should continue to do the work that's working. And I'm asking city council members to join me in this effort. to continue to make the investments that are necessary in our communities to ultimately save lives. Thanks a lot. You're welcome. Well, that interview will be on our website, foxchicago.com, and you heard that conversation, the piece of it, where they were talking about, you know, whose responsibility is it to actually get this done? We asked the Budget Accountability Coalition to respond to Mayor Johnson's accusations. Remember, he said he had reached out to them about budget negotiations, but said no one responded. Alderwoman Samantha Nugent says the opposite is true. She claims it's been crickets. From his side, she sent us a statement and reiterates that the coalition's first attempt at communication was a written letter. Sent three weeks prior to the mayor's budget address. That's when 29 alders laid out three conditions and said a corporate head tax was a non-starter. Here's more. She says, quote, that was more than six weeks ago. And neither the mayor nor his team at any time since have offered to meet with us to address the priorities we laid out to ensure that we pass a responsible budget that puts Chicago on the best financial footing. Meanwhile, residents in four wards voted overwhelmingly in support of a corporate head tax. Ironically, though, most of the alders representing those wards are not on the same page as their constituents. Alderman Desmond Yancey, Michelle Harris, and Monique Scott were among the 28 that sent Mayor Johnson a letter saying his budget, which includes that head tax proposal they were discussing, is dead on arrival. Alderman Ronnie Mosley has indicated he will support the mayor's budget and the advisory referendum passed with 88% support. But we should point out the mayor's 2027 budget proposal would tax businesses with at least 125 employees. While the referendum asked about companies with 500 or more. Big distinction. We reached out to the alders of these wards and are waiting to hear back. In the meantime, Mayor Johnson is one step closer to picking Chicago's next police superintendent, even though he may. Or may not be the mayor when that person starts. After a four-month search that included input from residents, officers, and public safety experts, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability will vote tomorrow on three finalists. President of the commission, Rommel Terry, is joining us now with a preview. Thanks so much for coming back on the show. Thank you so much for having me. Let's go back to the last time you did this. What were the biggest qualities or qualifications that separated the candidates and helped determine who made the final three? I think back then we were looking for someone who showed their level of preparedness, who understood the current landscape in the city of Chicago. It was also a change because it was a historic decision where it was civilian-led. So having clear understanding of what the community wanted to see in the next superintendent was a big factor in the last time we did this. Talk about what the voting process looks like this go-round. Yeah, so the voting process is similar to 2023. By ordinance, we're required by law to have a public meeting and take a public vote to announce three candidates to submit to the mayor for consideration. And so on tomorrow, we will follow that same process. I would love to know, as we're looking at some of the video of the meetings, With the community. Did you feel like more people came out? Because I remember some packed meetings in 2023 when you all were getting ready to find someone then who ultimately, you know, you solidified someone and it seemed like he was well liked. This go round. Did you feel like as many people came out or that people weren't as invested as when it was sort of new? No, I think that the same level of investment from community and the various stakeholders remain the same because we know that this is one of the top consequential decisions that our body has to make. And so we did see a turnout. I think the difference is this time around, probably the season, we were sort of in the middle of summer. And so the availability of people being able to show up to some of the meetings, but we did get a lot of feedback. In person as well as online through our survey. So I think we had a lot of insight that the difference that I saw was that there wasn't a lot of names being put out there that we saw the first time around. More so people were focused on the issues and the things that they wanted to see continued that. You know, we're under Superintendent Snelling. Yeah, and we heard Superintendent Snelling's name time and time again in those meetings the last time before he was ultimately selected. And on that note, the mayor can select one of your three finalists or reject the entire list. How confident are you that he will stick to the names you choose first? Just as confident as we were in 2023, we know that we have three very strong, solid candidates who are more than prepared to take on this opportunity. And so we believe that one of them will be selected by the mayor. So on a final note here, let me just ask you this. Residents repeatedly emphasized reducing violent crime, rebuilding trust and improving officer morale. How did those priorities factor into the decision you know you need to make now? Yeah, they were key factors in the decision that we made in all of our deliberations and closed sessions as we talked about this, even in the questions that we were posing during the interviewing process. So those things did not go away. We made sure to ensure that they were fully incorporated in this process and influenced this decision because, again, this is about the city of Chicago, and we take seriously listening to all stakeholders. Thanks so much for joining us. It will also be interesting to see if the uncertainty around who the mayor will be when this person is installed weighed on the candidate pool. But maybe that's a question for the next time around when you finally have someone set. Yes, I think we'll be pleasantly pleased with tomorrow's decision and announcement. All right, we'll wait for it. Thank you so much for your time. Have a great evening. You too. And it is time for our first break, everyone. More news in two minutes. Back now to our area, a new report is raising concerns about safety and conditions inside the Cook County Jail. Cook County's independent inspector general says internal processes delayed 911 calls in some emergencies, maintenance issues remain unresolved, and the jail security oversight team needs more resources. There's also a growing fight over whether the watchdog... Even has the authority to investigate the sheriff's office. Independent Inspector General Terrell Paxton is back here on the show to explain. Thank you so much for being here with me tonight. Thank you for having me. Let's start with the authority issue here. The sheriff's office has rejected your office's authority to review its operations. So what is the basis for that disagreement? And why do you believe that your office has the authority to investigate theirs? Well, they're asserting that our authority, well, we can investigate matters, but we cannot review matters. How can you investigate if you cannot review? And if you read our ordinance, it clearly says that we can review county operations, programs, records, and what have you. And after we find issues with waste and mismanagement, Due to an audit, a review, and an evaluation, we can issue a public statement, which is what we did. It just sounds like they're playing with words to prevent oversight. So we have our ordinance, and this matter had been adjudicated sometime, where I want to say with the old county, you had the former inspector general whose authority was being rejected by a former assessor. And, and so what happened is that the state's attorney's office gave the former assessor a advisory opinion saying we did not have jurisdiction. It went all the way up to the Illinois Supreme Court that settled the matter. This was settled. Approximately 15 years ago. Oh, wow. That's significant. And your report says 911 calls were delayed in some medical emergencies. I mean, that is, when we talk about things that are significant, that is serious. Can you walk us through what happened and how internal evaluation and escalation processes failed here? So, to be fair, a lot of what we saw... So, um... The jail personnel, they were working on things. And so we more so saw things that they could improve on. Not necessarily they didn't have internal controls, but they could improve on things. And so from the face of it, it looks really bad. But as you dig deeper into it, what you'll see is that you had Stroganoff Hospital. Cook County Health and Hospital system that would try to stabilize the situation before they call 911. So it's not that there's these big gaps where someone's suffering, but they try to stabilize the situation. We want to be very careful not to nitpick too much to make the situation worse. But even stabilizing a situation before you call 911 sounds a bit as though you're trying Trying to make sure when we get the report that it looks a certain way. I mean, and that's the problem with what's going on with the sheriff's office. When you try to reject our authority to review things, it looks suspicious and people are gonna be concerned. You should make those things transparent to the public and allow us to look at it. And I don't think you're gonna get any other treatment that's as fair as ours because we're neutral, we're independent. So you also identified recurring maintenance problems, property damage, a need for more resources. What would you say are the most urgent out of these things or something else that we're not identifying, changes that the sheriff's office needs to make? I would say the number one thing is oversight because I think it's very troubling. Very troubling for general counsel and the sheriff's office to look at our ordinance, look at the Supreme Court decision, and state that we do not have the authority. And if they would treat our office that way, misapplication, misinterpretation of the law, then that raises concerns on how they treat the public and their own employees. Well, speaking of employees, I only have time for one more question very quickly with you. The Office of the Independent Inspector General raised concerns about several individual cases, including an allegation involving a deputy who reported to work intoxicated, possessing a firearm, an illegal firearm. Thank you very much. What accountability measures, when you all put this out, what accountability measures are you seeking for something like that? Number one, doing a thorough investigation. In that case, we got that complaint, and historically, we refer those complaints to OPR. We had a good relationship, but then it came a time where I'm like, wait a minute, we sent so many complaints over. I need to have reasonable assurance that they're handling those complaints properly at a very high level, at a very high level, due diligence, due care. And so there, we saw that... The investigators did not interview the officer, did not talk to the supervisor. Very little to anything was done. Well, please keep us updated, and we'd love to follow up and see if any of this actually does get resolved. Can I say one thing? Quickly. I want to say that Commissioner Moore and Commissioner Vasquez really stepped up on this issue and want to give it more spotlight. Thank you. We appreciate your time. Thank you. Okay, everyone. We'll be right back with more news after this final break. Welcome back to the Chicago Report. A group is fighting against the Trump administration, saying changes at the U.S. Postal Service are hurting workers, many of whom are veterans. Joining us now after a march this afternoon, Elise Foster, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 11. Thanks so much for being here with us. Thank you for having me. And more than 65,000 postal workers are veterans. Why was it important to highlight that connection for this? Because today is Veterans Day, and as we honor our veterans, we wanted the American people to understand that the way they're getting treated, along with their co-workers, is unacceptable, and that we should respect them. They served our country, and they come from the service to work for the United States Postal Service, and they should be respected. They served this country, made sacrifices, and then when we get to work, we're treated not like human beings, and that's the problem. So as we honor veterans today, I wanted to shed the light on how veterans are being treated. As the United States Postal Service is the largest employer of veterans. You have raised concerns about staffing cuts, longer routes, heavier workloads. What are letter carriers telling you about recent challenges? And what are you asking the Postal Service leadership and the Trump administration to do? Well, with these cutbacks that they're doing with the numbers, they have eliminated routes that are causing carriers to be out there longer, will not allow the carriers to work. We have a contract in place as far as overtime. They will not allow them to come in on their day off, but they will leave the carrier at home. So for whatever reason, if there's an emergency that comes that day and a carrier cannot come to work, that route does not go out, and that's a problem. And there's federal laws that mail must be delivered, and the Postal Service is to blame and not the letter carrier. It's been a lot of discussion about the Postal Service's financial challenges and the need to modernize. What do you say to people who argue these changes are necessary to keep USPS operating? Well, I think it's mismanagement. A lot of it is mismanagement, the way they talk to us, the dignity and respect. It goes a long way, how employees are being treated. And, like, we have leadership that doesn't even talk to the local representatives here at Branch 11. Been in here for two and a half years. Our district manager has not sat down and talked to us about any concerns that he has, but he has a team of people that's coming in, abolishing routes, excessive discipline, and they're just attacking the letter carriers. And it's not fair, and we have to go out there. Each and every day to come to work to provide for our families, but we get under stress in the workplace and then have to go on the street and deal with so many issues as we try to make it home to our families each night. You've protested. What's the next step? Well, hopefully today, like we protested outside of the Stockyard Station, and that's another problem. That office has been shut down for going on three years, and those carriers want to get back into their location where they work at. And we're trying to advocate for a lot of things, safety, and we want to make sure that the postal service continues. Now, we don't have a contract right now, so we want them to understand that this is serious, and they need to take the letter carriers seriously, and so hopefully let's make some changes here in Chicago. Please keep us updated. We'd appreciate that. All right, I will. Thank you. Thank you so much. We appreciate you. That is it for us, everyone, here tonight for the Chicago Report. As always, you can see many of these interviews that we've had today online on our website. That's foxchicago.com. And we certainly hope that we will see you right back here tomorrow night.