Gracious goodness, the tattered and filthy floating wreckage that is Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's term just keeps adding more detritus to the growing noxious pile.
He has been having himself a time, and most of it has to do with his...how to pu tit politely...craptastic socialist money management skills and his undying fealty - read that as 'tool of' - the Chicago Teachers' Union (CTU).
Fed-up residents have been beating on him unmercifully over both the illegal immigrants swamping the city thanks to Hizzoner's sanctuary policies. They're mad about the cost of feeding, housing, and clothing guests invited by the mayor to mooch off of already thin city resources. They are furious at the presence of more criminals - something they definitely didn't need - who seem to be working their trade at will, And they are snorting fire at the cost of supporting Johnson's illegal friendly policies as they are confronted with massive deficit spending and insane CYA plans like $68.5M real estate tax hikes and the city taking out short term $300M payday loans.
The entire Chicago Board of Education resigned en masse in protest over the mayor's insistence they fire the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, a fellow named Pedro Martinez, because he refused to go along with Johnson's plan to put the school district on the hook for that $300M payday loan. This all happened just as the board was approaching a shift to a hybrid make-up of appointees and elected members.
Martinez said, "Hell, no, we're broke enough," Johnson put the pressure on, and the board walked.
They might be different, but they're not crazy, and they are not convinced that the mayor isn't.
In various town halls around Chicago, residents have been vocal, excoriating Johnson and, with many in red hats and t-shirts, threatening that the coming Trump administration will mean his mayoral doom.
Johnson reflexively blusters and bloviates - he recently started an ill-advised pissing contest with incoming Border Czar Tom Homan, for one example. It's academic who wins that one, so what's the point of antagonizing someone?
He's a tiny-brained posturing poltroon.
It doesn't help his case that, fragile flower that he is, the mayor cracks every now and then. He did so two weeks ago.
And dang, if he didn't throw a public fit again on Monday. Although, granted it was after those frickin' red shirt, red hat people came back and threw fits at him.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday ordered the removal of people from a city council meeting after protests over his actions on issues involving migrants.
The instruction followed the public comment period, during which some people wearing shirts reading “Chicago flips red."
“Sergeant at arms, please remove these individuals from the chambers,” Mayor Johnson said.
Footage of the meeting does not show what any attendees were doing when the mayor ordered their removal.
One person wearing a “Chicago flips red” shirt, identified as Jessica Jackson, told Mayor Johnson he was going to be “held accountable” for directing money toward migrants, citing an executive order from last year establishing a deputy mayor for “immigrant, migrant and refugee rights.”
Spazzing, the mayor did his best Heidi Klum Project Runway impression.
YOU ARE OUT
#BREAKING : Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson kicks out residents from City meeting as they object to passing a budget plan of even more loans for illegals.
— BLOODYRED (@trumpestfuture) December 17, 2024
"He wants to pull a $40 million line of credit and put the city in even more debt!" one of the resident said. #Chicago pic.twitter.com/JqsLFPCYkl
All this time, Pedro Martinez still had his job, irritating the crap out of the mayor and foiling his - and the CTU's - big money plans. Additionally, the elections came and went, and new school board members were elected who are due to take their seats on the new hybrid board in January.
Johnson had carefully shielded his hand-selected flock from inadvertently tanking his plans.
WATCH: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson refuses to let reporters ask his slate of new school board members whether they support a $300M high-interest payday loan to fund the contract demands of Johnson’s top campaign donor, the Chicago Teachers Union. https://t.co/aICCPkvvxq pic.twitter.com/BUWFyQ3Rfu
— Austin Berg (@Austin__Berg) October 7, 2024
Johnson couldn't leave well enough alone. He wants Martinez gone, like yesterday.
So he laid the hammer down to his appointees on the board while he had them - get rid of Martinez.
The Chicago Board of Education plans to vote on the future of Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez at a special meeting on Friday, multiple sources told ABC7.
The meeting's agenda includes two items: "Approve Settlement with Chief Officer" and "Approve Termination of Chief Officer." Sources have confirmed to ABC7 that the chief officer in question is Martinez.
The meeting is scheduled for the first night of CPS winter break, on a Friday evening before a long holiday weekend, and it comes less than four weeks before newly-elected board members are scheduled to be sworn in.
The mayor recently appointed a brand new school board that would seemingly have the power to vote to fire Martinez.
"This is the Christmas massacre," 36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas said. "This is about firing Pedro and threatening him whether or not he takes the buyout or termination."
The newly elected but unseated board members are not happy.
WATCH: Chicago’s newly elected school board members are now speaking out against Mayor Brandon Johnson’s hand-picked school board, which is expected to fire CEO Pedro Martinez for his refusal to issue a $300M high-interest loan to fund Chicago Teachers Union contract demands.… https://t.co/n8DCQAi9kt pic.twitter.com/l1CVYjdocg
— Austin Berg (@Austin__Berg) December 19, 2024
...Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates and Vice President Jackson Potter have been lobbying Johnson for months to pressure the board to fire Martinez, who has refused to support the issuance of a $300M high-interest payday loan to fund CTU’s contract demands.
This pressure led to the ousting of the entire seven-member school board in October. Johnson then appointed an entirely new board, with no oversight. The new board president then resigned when 40 aldermen called for him to step down after social media posts came to light wherein he supported 9/11 conspiracy theories and anti-semitism.
Johnson and the CTU are hoping for all of this to rushed through before newly elected members of the school board take office on Jan. 15.
Austin Berg has a great little three-point primer on his X page about Johnson that is very informative as far as Chicago and who is running things. The most important is the first because it's totally relevant to this potential 'massacre' and financial catastrophe and which I will share with you here:
A national political reporter visiting Chicago to cover preparations for the Democratic National Convention asked me a great question today.
“What do you think people outside Chicago don’t understand about Brandon Johnson’s administration?”
Thought I’d share my answer here.
There are three dynamics that explain why City Hall is such a mess. And why Johnson is the least popular first-term mayor in Chicago history
1. The Chicago Teachers Union dictates the mayor’s priorities and allocation of political capital. They are by far the most powerful political actor in city government right now, which means the administration fixates on the demands of a small base of far-left activists. This explains things like the cancellation of ShotSpotter despite community support, the mayor casting the tie-breaking vote on a ceasefire resolution, attacking selective enrollment schools, defending the most radical members of city council despite their horrific behavior, hostility toward ethics reform, and banning schools from hiring cops as security officers. Watch the @illinoispolicy documentary “Local 1: The Rise of America’s Most Powerful Teachers Union” at http://chicagoteachersunion.com for the best account of this.
That's it.
If Johnson thought he got yelled at before by angry people in red hats and t-shirts, just wait 'til his hitmen get rid of the one guy with the guts standing between the CTU and sticking it to city residents for another $300M courtesy of a high-interest loan.
He'd better wear a pith helmet.
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