Chicago Tonight | Spotlight Politics: Johnson’s First 100 Days … – PBS

>> MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON MARKS 100 DAYS IN CITY HALL.

>>> X — KICK OFF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

HERE WITH ALL THAT AND MORE, THE SPOTLIGHT POLITICS TEAM, HEATHER SHARON, MATT MASTERSON, AND SPECIAL GUEST, JOHN BYRNE OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE.

SO , THE FIRST 100 DAYS, EVERYBODY.

WHAT TYPE OF LEADER HAS HE SHOWN TO BE SO FAR?

>> WELL, HE PROMISED TO BE COLLABORATIVE, TO BRING EVERYBODY TO THE TABLE BEFORE HE MAKES A DECISION, AND, IN SOME WAYS, HE HAS DONE EXACTLY THAT.

SEVERAL TIMES HE HAS TOLD REPORTERS THAT HE IS NOT A DICTATOR, WHICH IS A STARK DIFFERENCE FROM PAST MAYORS.

MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT DID NOT HESITATE TO SORT OF SAY HER WAY OR THE HIGHWAY, AND OF COURSE, RON LEARNED FOR THE BEST.

>> SOME OF THE MORE IMMEDIATE ISSUES SINCE TAKING OFFICE, THE INFLUX OF MIGRANTS IN PUBLIC SAFETY, WHICH IS GOING TO BE A BIG CHALLENGE FOR ANY MAYOR.

JOHN, HOW HAS THE ISSUE HAVE BEEN HANDLED?

>> HE’S DOING HIS BEST TO HANDLE THE MIGRANT SITUATION.

OPENING A BUNCH OF NEW SHELTERS BUT HE GOT THE CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE $1 MILLION IN SPENDING TO HELP DEAL WITH THAT, BUT ALSO, HIS DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF SAID THE OTHER DAY THAT THEY EXPECT IT TO GET MUCH WORSE AS REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS TRY TO POKE CHICAGO IN THE EYE BEFORE THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION NEXT YEAR.

>> THEY’VE GOT A YEARS WORTH OF TIME TO SEND MORE BUSES OF PEOPLE.

>> MORE BUSES.

THEY ARE EXPECTED TO RAMP IT UP.

>> OF COURSE, THE ISSUE OF PUBLIC SAFETY.

WE WILL COME BACK TO THAT IN JUST A LITTLE BIT.

HEATHER, SPEAKING OF THE MIGRANTS, THERE’S ALSO BEEN THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, REPORTEDLY TURNING AWAY SOME OF THE MIGRANT STUDENTS AS THEY REPORT TO A CPS SCHOOL THIS WEEK.

WHAT HAS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SAID ABOUT THAT?

>> THEY SAY THEY ARE DOING THEIR BEST TO ACCOMMODATE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS, MANY OF WHOM DON’T SPEAK ANY ENGLISH WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH SIGNIFICANT TRAUMA, GETTING THEM ENROLLED, GETTING THEM CONNECTED TO SERVICES, BUT THEY’RE CERTAINLY BEEN SOME HICCUPS, AND TO SOME EXTENT, THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED.

LET’S NOT FORGET THAT THIS CRISIS BEGAN NEARLY A YEAR AGO AND THE CITY HAS HAD SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME TO SORT OF FIGURE OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING AS THIS SORT OF RENEWED RESEARCH BEGAN IN APRIL, EVEN BEFORE MAYOR JOHNSON TOOK OFFICE.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS THE DISTRICT HAS SAID IS OF COURSE, THE REPORT SAYS THAT A SHORTAGE OF SPANISH-SPEAKING BILINGUAL TEACHERS WHO KNOWS IT’S DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT.

HEATHER, THE MAYOR ALSO HAD SEVERAL IMPORTANT VACANCIES TO FILL IN HIS CABINET.

ONE OF THOSE POSITIONS?

>> HE NEEDS A NEW HEALTH COMMISSIONER BECAUSE HE FIRED ALSO NEEDS A HOUSING COMMISSIONER AND A PLANNING COMMISSIONER.

SO, REALLY, HE HAS NOT PRIORITIZED FILLING OUT THOSE CABINET LEVEL POSITIONS AND I AM SURE, WHEN HE COMES ON THE SHOW TOMORROW, WE WILL ASK HIM ABOUT THAT AND HE WILL, I EXPECT, SAY SOME VERSION OF WE WANT TO BE DELIBERATIVE.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY GETS TO HAVE THEIR SAY ABOUT WHAT THIS NEW CABINET SHOULD LOOK LIKE.

THE QUESTION IS, ARE SOME ON THE LEFT BEING UNDONE WHILE THOSE DELIBERATIONS GO ON?

>> OF COURSE, WE ARE COUNTING ON THAT TOMORROW WILL GET THE CHANCE TO TALK TO HIM.

JOHN, HAS THERE BEEN ANY MOVEMENT ON SOME OF THE MAJOR AGENDA ITEMS?

THE TREATMENT NOT TRAUMA ITEMS?

>> YEAH, BRINGING CHICAGO HOME, JUST WORKING ON APPROVING SOME MONEY FOR THAT.

ON TREATMENT NOT TRAUMA, THERE IS A HEARING, BUT THAT IS AS FAR AS THEY GOT ON THAT ONE.

SO WITH TREATMENT NOT TRAUMA, BRING CHICAGO HOME, HE IS MOVING AHEAD ON THAT ONE.

>> AND OF COURSE, REMIND US WHAT BRING CHICAGO HOME AND TREATMENT NOT TRAUMA OUR.

>> BRING CHICAGO HOME IS, HE’S GOING TO INCREASE THE REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAX AND RAISE $100 MILLION TO HELP AND HOMELESSNESS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

HE JUST ANNOUNCED THAT HE WAS GOING TO NOT GO AHEAD WITH HIS ORIGINAL PLAN AND INSTEAD HAVE A THREE-TIERED SYSTEM WHERE IF YOUR REAL ESTATE TRANSFER, YOU ARE SELLING YOUR HOUSE, YOUR PAYMENT WILL ACTUALLY GO DOWN BETWEEN 1,000,001.5, HE GOES UP A LITTLE BIT AND THEN ONE .5 MILLION, IT GOES UP QUITE A BIT MORE.

SO THEY HOPE TO RAISE $1.5 MILLION FOR THAT TO HELP AND HOMELESSNESS , HOMELESS SERVICES, TREATMENT NOT TRAUMA IS HIS PLEDGE TO REOPEN MENTAL HEALTH CLINICS AROUND THE CITY AND TO HAVE — NOT HAVE POLICE RESPOND TO PROBLEMS WITH MENTAL HEALTH BREAKS WHEN PEOPLE CALL WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.

>> SO, MATT, CLOSING ARGUMENTS IN THE PERJURY TRIAL TODAY.

WHAT DID JURORS HERE IN COURT?

>> SO THAT GRAND JURY TESTIMONY IN 2021 AND WHAT HE SAID ON THE PHONE AND RECORDED WIRETAPPED CONVERSATIONS WITH MICHAEL McLEAN.

OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL YEARS, HE TOOK UP A LOT OF THE TRIAL.

THE GRAND JURY THAT TESTIFIED BEFORE MATT AGAIN — WHO WAS THE — TO THE STAFF.

PROSECUTORS SAY HE REPEATEDLY LIED TO TRY AND MINIMIZE — THAT MADIGAN HAD GIVEN HIM — 2018 AND 2019.

THEY SAY HE IS PROTECTING HIS — THIS TIGHTKNIT GROUP BUT ANYWAY, McLEAN AND MEGAN WERE INDICTED.

THEY ARE FACING AN ATTORNEY CASE NATURE, BUT MASON’S ATTORNEY ARE SAYING HE DIDN’T LIE, SIMPLY THAT HIS CONVERSATIONS THAT HAPPEN YEARS BEFORE HE TESTIFIED BEFORE THE GRAND JURY AND THEY WERE ABOUT THINGS THAT HE SAID WERE SOMEWHAT IRRELEVANT TO THE TOPIC.

THEY WERE OFF-THE-CUFF CONVERSATIONS THEY HAD, THEY HAD ALREADY RESIGNED BEFORE A LOT OF THESE CONVERSATIONS TOOK PLACE SO HE WAS SAYING THAT THESE WERE SOME IRRELEVANT TOPICS AND HE SIMPLY DIDN’T REMEMBER.

THEY HAD TO PROVE THAT HE NOT ONLY MISSPOKE, BUT HE WILLFULLY DID SO TO THE GRAND JURY.

>> AND MATT, WHAT IS NEXT FOR THE TRIAL?

>> SO CLOSING STATEMENTS WRAPPED UP TODAY, DELIBERATIONS STARTED BRIEFLY.

THOSE WILL RESUME TOMORROW AND CHURROS WILL HAVE AS MUCH TIME AS THEY NEED IF THEY WANT TO CONVICT OR ACQUIT ON CHARGES OF PERJURY AND ATTEMPTED OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.

>> AND WE WILL HAVE ALL EYES ON THE FEDERAL COURT IF THAT HAPPENS.

AS WE MENTIONED, CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL STARTED NEXT WEEK.

NEXT WEEK, THEY ARE GOING TO GET AN ELECTED PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD.

WHAT COULD THIS MEAN?

>> IT’S A BIG CHANGE FOR EDUCATION IN CHICAGO.

ADVOCACY AND PUSH FOR FOR DECADES EVEN.

IT’S GOING TO GET PARENTS AND FAMILIES AND JUST THE PEOPLE IN CHICAGO MORE OF A VOICE.

THINGS LIKE BETTER CONTRACTS AND LEADERSHIP ROLES AND HOW THINGS GO DAY IN AND DAY OUT IN SCHOOLS.

SO NOW, MAYOR JOHNSON MADE HIS APPOINTMENTS LAST MONTH OR EARLIER IN HIS TERM.

THEY HAVE COMMITTED TO SORT OF SETTING THIS TRANSITION UP, MAKING THINGS MOVE FREELY, GOING INTO THE NEXT 15, 60 MONTHS BEFORE THE CHANGE ACTUALLY TAKES PLACE.

THERE’S GOING BE A LOT OF WORK THAT HAS TO GO INTO PLACE BEFORE THE ELECTIONS TAKE PLACE NEXT FALL.

>> I WILL BE INTERESTED TO SEE HOW THE BOARD WORKS WITH THE MAYOR, — CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT, BUT NOT THE KIND THAT WE ARE USED TO SEEING.

A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, THEY CALLED IT — HISTORIC RESET, WHICH WE JUST HEARD ON THE SHOW LAST NIGHT SAYING, THEY ARE ACTUALLY INVOLVED WITH THE MINISTRATION FOR THE FIRST TIME.

HEATHER, WHAT IS THIS OPTIMISTIC TONE MEAN FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR, AND THE CONTRACT WHICH IS UP NEXT SUMMER.

>> THIS IS REALLY A BIG CHANGE.

TO EVEN SEE THE HEAD OF CTU NEXT TO THE MAYOR.

EVERYONE SINGING FROM THE SAME HYMNAL, SO TO SPEAK.

IT’S VERY DIFFERENT.

THE PROOF, HOWEVER, WILL BE IN THE PUDDING.

CAN JOHNSON AND DAVIS NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT THAT IS ACCEPTABLE FOR THE MEMBERSHIP AND HOW MUCH FLEXIBILITY DOES JOHNSON HAVE TO SORT OF MAKE GOOD ON WHAT CTU DEMANDED FROM MAYORS RAHM EMANUEL AND LORI LIGHTFOOT?

THEY WANT — AND MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND — AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND — THOSE ARE BIG ASKS AND