By Judy Crown for Crain’s Chicago Business

May 29, 2023

Brandon Johnson is two weeks into his job as mayor of Chicago, a city facing big, intractable problems that will take longer than a few weeks to fix. But Johnson the candidate won over voters by acknowledging that hard problems require long-term solutions.

Nevertheless, he’s under pressure to take immediate measures to tamp down gun violence, make CTA riders feel safe and prepare for “fiscal cliffs” at the transit agency and the Chicago Board of Education.

He’s inherited a surge of migrants who need shelter, food and health care, along with an emergency declaration to deal with the crisis. Longer term, he’ll have to find a way to stanch the exodus of companies and workers from the Loop. All this while seeking new revenues to enact the services he says will result in a safer city through such measures as a youth employment program, expanded mental health and disability services, and more parks and libraries.

“He’ll have to walk and chew gum at the same time,” says Alexandra Block, senior supervising attorney at ACLU of Illinois, who specializes in criminal justice.