Your Daily Guide

Mayor Brandon Johnson told City Cast Chicago he’ll announce whether he’s running again Sept. 13. And that’s not all he said. We sat down with the mayor at City Hall for a candid conversation — full of YOUR questions.

On the budget

As Chicago enters budget season with a projected $882.4 million shortfall, Johnson attributes part of the lingering deficit to progressive policies quashed by City Council last year — namely, his proposed corporate head tax.

However, he doubled down on policies that passed like the social media amusement responsibility tax, which is, indeed, overperforming, though funds remain tied up in escrow due to legal trouble. They’re slated to go toward mental health care.

“I'm gonna continue to fight hard to protect the interest of working people,” he said, but acknowledged it will take cooperation from Springfield. “ There's only a few levers that I have absolute control over.”

On data centers and the forthcoming quantum campus:

Despite fears from residents, Johnson supports the ongoing construction of a quantum campus on Chicago’s Southeast Side. He emphasized the need to build in an area that has lacked development since the steel mills closed decades ago.

When asked, point blank, whether he’d want a quantum campus in his neighborhood, the mayor said, “What I want is development.” He added that it will also require work from state lawmakers to ensure it doesn’t come at the expense of residents.

Similarly, regarding data centers, Johnson said it will take multiple bodies of government to prevent them from growing in Chicago.

On potential school closures

Recently, the Chicago Board of Education passed a budget that avoided layoffs proposed by Chicago Public Schools, as the district faces persistent shortfalls. Meanwhile, concerns over under-enrollment linger. If it were up to him, Johnson said school closures would be off the table. However, the mayor no longer has much power in that arena.

Chicago votes on its first-ever fully elected school board this November, a change which Johnson said he fully supports (though he favored a phase-in). That race is now heating up, and presidential hopefuls offer competing visions.

Stay tuned for more on that front — and check out our full conversation with Johnson!