Brandon Johnson, a progressive Democrat, becomes Chicago’s new mayor.

Meet Brandon Johnson, Chicago’s 57th Mayor

On May 15, Brandon Johnson, a progressive Democrat, was sworn in as the 57th mayor of Chicago. He succeeded Democrat Lori Lightfoot, who lost in the Feb. 28 primary after years of coming under fire on issues ranging from COVID-19 to public safety.

Johnson, 47, defeated Paul Vallas, a 69-year-old moderate Democrat in an upset in the April 4 runoff. He was sworn in by Chief Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court Timothy C. Evans at an inauguration ceremony at the Credit Union 1 Arena at the University of Illinois–Chicago.

A Hopeful Inauguration Ceremony

The inauguration ceremony was a hopeful one, with the Black National Anthem and an acknowledgment that the land on which the arena stands was stolen from Native Americans. The invocation, which included political overtones, was given by Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III. Avery R. Young, Chicago poet laureate, recited a hopeful poem about the Windy City.

Rabbi Shoshanah Conover of Temple Sholom of Chicago gave a prayer for Johnson, comparing him to the biblical character Joseph. Imam Hassan Aly, of the Council of Islamic Orgs of Greater Chicago, gave a prayer of guidance for Johnson. Elected officials, including Chicago’s 50 aldermen, were sworn in ahead of Johnson, who was embraced by Lightfoot after she conducted her final acts as mayor.

Education and Public Safety

Two of the biggest issues in the mayoral election were education and public safety. Johnson ran on a staunchly pro-public school platform as he was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, and Vallas ran on a pro-school choice agenda.

Johnson enters city hall with an underwhelming public school system in the Windy City. The high school graduation rate in Chicago is just 78.4 percent, as students have struggled to demonstrate proficiency in mathematics and reading.

• Elementary school level: test score proficiency is 21 percent in math and 25 percent in reading
• Middle school level: test score proficiency is 21 percent in math and 24 percent in reading
• High school level: test score proficiency is 23 percent in math and 21 percent in reading

Johnson expressed opposition to cutting city funding to schools. In terms of fighting crime, he came under fire, including from Vallas, for his past support of the “Defund the Police” movement, which Johnson in 2020 called an “actual, real political goal.”

Johnson sought to distance himself from that cause. In March, he told Laura Washington, a political analyst for ABC’s Chicago affiliate, “[I] said it was a political goal. I never said it was mine. “As far as my vision for public safety, I’m not going to defund the police.”

On his campaign website, Johnson vowed to “work with police and first responders to invest in community-based interventions that de-escalate conflict, reduce violence and make … neighborhoods safer.” He also vowed to “create an Office of Community Safety, reopen the city’s mental health clinics, fully fund year-round youth employment, and foster partnerships between communities and law enforcement to make critical investments preventing crime before it happens.” Johnson pledged to “direct more funds to violence prevention and community safety programming that address the root causes of community violence” and “attack these root causes of crime and poverty by investing in the basics: good schools, good jobs.”

Johnson started his day touring the Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side, where Johnson and his family live. Following the ceremony, he planned to host an open house to meet with Chicagoans at city hall and attend a gala that evening at the arena to celebrate his inauguration.