Brandon Johnson Prevails In Chicago Mayoral Race
April 5, 2023 10:34 AM Subscribe
Brandon Johnson has defeated Paul Vallas in a close race; here is reporting on ward-by-ward turnout and voting. In a race that was sort of a Teachers Union versus Police Union showdown, the teachers won.
Some of the dynamics I tracked following the race from afar:
Some of the dynamics I tracked following the race from afar:
- Vallas accused of not living in Chicago.
- Vallas accused of being a crypto-Republican.
- Vallas as a guy who was substantially responsible for privatizing the entire New Orleans school system.
- The Fraternal Order of Police, headed by . . . let's just call him an Actual Nazi . . . threatening a mass resignation if Brandon Johnson were to win.
- Brandon Johnson as a stand-in for the political clout of the teachers' union, and the voters' patience or lack of patience with the teachers' push to keep schools closed during Covid.
- Brandon Johnson as a "Defund the Police" candidate, and Brandon Johnson's efforts to defend his past statements on the matter.
I was promised police resignations.
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:48 AM on April 5, 2023 [76 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:48 AM on April 5, 2023 [76 favorites]
I don't think I was the only person who wasn't following the news carefully enough and thought "Brandon Johnson" was some new based nickname for Joe Biden.
posted by straight at 10:52 AM on April 5, 2023 [23 favorites]
posted by straight at 10:52 AM on April 5, 2023 [23 favorites]
straight, am now considering asking the mods to retitle this post, "Let's Fucking Go, Brandon!"
posted by kensington314 at 10:54 AM on April 5, 2023 [19 favorites]
posted by kensington314 at 10:54 AM on April 5, 2023 [19 favorites]
My partner and I put off voting, and then came down with COVID after it was too late to request mail ballots. We did the right thing and stayed home, but I admit I was pretty nervous about it. Seeing the results last night was a huge relief!
posted by Westringia F. at 10:58 AM on April 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Westringia F. at 10:58 AM on April 5, 2023 [6 favorites]
The one thing that surprised me in this election was both candidates were disavowing their previous recorded stances, even from their primary debates. Lynn Sweet has the column that describes it best.
It will be interesting to see how Brandon Johnson runs the city. The outgoing City Council, in anticipation of this election, changed the rules and committees under the guise of 'taking back control'. Also, Brandon Johnson was not supported by a lot of the entrenched Black leadership, mostly based on the Southside (Brandon is from the Westside). The City Council now has 22-23 Alders who can be said to be sympathetic to Brandon Johnson. But that also means that he will have to get some people on his side if he wants to push his agenda through the council. Or we may witness another 'council wars' redux from the 80s.
I am going to be living through interesting times in the next 4 years.
posted by indianbadger1 at 11:01 AM on April 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
It will be interesting to see how Brandon Johnson runs the city. The outgoing City Council, in anticipation of this election, changed the rules and committees under the guise of 'taking back control'. Also, Brandon Johnson was not supported by a lot of the entrenched Black leadership, mostly based on the Southside (Brandon is from the Westside). The City Council now has 22-23 Alders who can be said to be sympathetic to Brandon Johnson. But that also means that he will have to get some people on his side if he wants to push his agenda through the council. Or we may witness another 'council wars' redux from the 80s.
I am going to be living through interesting times in the next 4 years.
posted by indianbadger1 at 11:01 AM on April 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
The Fraternal Order of Police, headed by . . . let's just call him an Actual Nazi . . . threatening a mass resignation if Brandon Johnson were to win.
Lol OK assholes, I'm waiting...
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 11:15 AM on April 5, 2023 [18 favorites]
Lol OK assholes, I'm waiting...
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 11:15 AM on April 5, 2023 [18 favorites]
The privatization of the New Orleans school system after Katrina was such a fucking thing.
I know that Vallas losing is in no way a referendum on whether public schools should exist, but holy shit I want to say he can't possibly have any good ideas about anything and I am glad he will not have a new venue to pursue this agenda. Except maybe he will return to school administration now that he won't be mayoring? Ugh.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 11:27 AM on April 5, 2023 [10 favorites]
I know that Vallas losing is in no way a referendum on whether public schools should exist, but holy shit I want to say he can't possibly have any good ideas about anything and I am glad he will not have a new venue to pursue this agenda. Except maybe he will return to school administration now that he won't be mayoring? Ugh.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 11:27 AM on April 5, 2023 [10 favorites]
After what Paul Vallas did to the School District of Philadelphia, the man shouldn't be even be allowed to hold the position of Dog Catcher, let alone mayor of a city.
posted by SansPoint at 11:37 AM on April 5, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by SansPoint at 11:37 AM on April 5, 2023 [10 favorites]
This afternoon we had what seemed like 3 straight hours of police sirens. Probably due to issues with high winds, but I couldn’t help thinking it was the police voicing their anger at Vallas losing.
posted by Bunglegirl at 1:58 PM on April 5, 2023
posted by Bunglegirl at 1:58 PM on April 5, 2023
>> I was promised police resignations.
That does seem like a feature rather than a bug.
posted by ensign_ricky at 2:09 PM on April 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
That does seem like a feature rather than a bug.
posted by ensign_ricky at 2:09 PM on April 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
The police won't resign; they'll simply stop doing their job while being paid (with overtime) and pensions, because they are protected by the police unions and have zero accountability.
Cautionary tale from SF: More Stories Surface of Alleged SFPD Inaction on Crimes, Chief Claims ‘Serious Morale Issues’
posted by meowzilla at 2:20 PM on April 5, 2023 [10 favorites]
Cautionary tale from SF: More Stories Surface of Alleged SFPD Inaction on Crimes, Chief Claims ‘Serious Morale Issues’
posted by meowzilla at 2:20 PM on April 5, 2023 [10 favorites]
Fuck Paul Vallas, thank you Chicago. From New Orleans.
Can we claw back the teacher s pensions from this jerk?
posted by eustatic at 2:38 PM on April 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
Can we claw back the teacher s pensions from this jerk?
posted by eustatic at 2:38 PM on April 5, 2023 [4 favorites]
so much has been made of the fact that NYC elected Eric Adams, a former Republican now Democrat resident of New Jersey and former cop who mumbled some stuff about "holding the police accountable" but has just increased their budget even more than he's cut the budgets for every other city agency (including yes, libraries, parks, and schools) - about how the 2020 movement spurred a pro-law-and-order backlash - that i really hope that this at least muddies the water of that narrative.
posted by entropone at 4:56 PM on April 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by entropone at 4:56 PM on April 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
I mean, I already knew that all the cops live in Edison Park, but the vote breaking 92/8 Vallas up there is still shocking. I think I could personally name 20% of the 120 Johnson voters from the upper 41st.
posted by hwyengr at 5:25 PM on April 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by hwyengr at 5:25 PM on April 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Vallas adds to his string of remarkable failures.
As a Chicago resident, I too look forward to any and all cops who want to resign over this. The Chicago Police Department is rotten from head to toe, and I'm convinced that it will only change generationally. If a handful of resignations speeds up the process by only 1 or 2%... that's progress.
The police union chief recently promised "blood in the streets" if Vallas lost. His words.
posted by SoberHighland at 7:44 PM on April 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
As a Chicago resident, I too look forward to any and all cops who want to resign over this. The Chicago Police Department is rotten from head to toe, and I'm convinced that it will only change generationally. If a handful of resignations speeds up the process by only 1 or 2%... that's progress.
The police union chief recently promised "blood in the streets" if Vallas lost. His words.
posted by SoberHighland at 7:44 PM on April 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
I taught in New Orleans right after Katrina and I look forward to watching this motherfucker leave Chicago politics and return to hell. A sack of failure in a man suit.
posted by a hat out of hell at 8:39 PM on April 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by a hat out of hell at 8:39 PM on April 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
Super excited! My city needs him, badly. Can't wait.
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:38 AM on April 6, 2023
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:38 AM on April 6, 2023
The police won't resign; they'll simply stop doing their job while being paid (with overtime) and pensions, because they are protected by the police unions and have zero accountability.
Any chance you're from Philly? Because hooboy, does that ever ring true here in the city of brotherly love. All kinds of stories in Reddit and on Twitter since Krasner was elected to the DA's office. Crime happens in view of a police cruiser stationed on the corner. Bystander walks up to the cop, who tells bystander he can't do anything, call 911. A service which, in 2021, often just rang out.
Speed cameras went up on a particularly dangerous expressway fairly recently. An article in the Inquirer reported last month that just in the last year, over 30,000 cars were photographed speeding without a license plate.
A few years ago, a white Cadillac pulled up in front of a sign on the lot next to me that said "THIS AREA UNDER CAMERA SURVEILLANCE." A man that I'm going to describe as clearly homeless gets out of the passenger side, spends 15 minutes removing the Fire Department Connector on my house, gets back in the car, which drives off. This man had been stealing FDCs up and down Front Street for months. I make enough noise on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit to get on the local news (it's a huge safety issue in a historic part of town), detectives reach out to me, and eventually they catch... the homeless guy. "In the video, you can clearly see the license plate of the Cadillac. What about that guy? Can't you impound his car and get me the $500 it cost to replace my FDC?" Sorry, nothing we can do.
And then there was the guy living under the overpass next to my house who, for months, was harassing women and elderly people, who walked past us as a half dozen neighbors were talking to a cop on the street about the problem, and he goes, "Oh yeah, that's Matt, we know him." And despite camera footage, despite practically the entire neighborhood asking for help, "There's nothing we can really do."
Zero chance those Chicago police resignations happen. If only.
posted by Leviathant at 9:12 AM on April 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Any chance you're from Philly? Because hooboy, does that ever ring true here in the city of brotherly love. All kinds of stories in Reddit and on Twitter since Krasner was elected to the DA's office. Crime happens in view of a police cruiser stationed on the corner. Bystander walks up to the cop, who tells bystander he can't do anything, call 911. A service which, in 2021, often just rang out.
Speed cameras went up on a particularly dangerous expressway fairly recently. An article in the Inquirer reported last month that just in the last year, over 30,000 cars were photographed speeding without a license plate.
A few years ago, a white Cadillac pulled up in front of a sign on the lot next to me that said "THIS AREA UNDER CAMERA SURVEILLANCE." A man that I'm going to describe as clearly homeless gets out of the passenger side, spends 15 minutes removing the Fire Department Connector on my house, gets back in the car, which drives off. This man had been stealing FDCs up and down Front Street for months. I make enough noise on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit to get on the local news (it's a huge safety issue in a historic part of town), detectives reach out to me, and eventually they catch... the homeless guy. "In the video, you can clearly see the license plate of the Cadillac. What about that guy? Can't you impound his car and get me the $500 it cost to replace my FDC?" Sorry, nothing we can do.
And then there was the guy living under the overpass next to my house who, for months, was harassing women and elderly people, who walked past us as a half dozen neighbors were talking to a cop on the street about the problem, and he goes, "Oh yeah, that's Matt, we know him." And despite camera footage, despite practically the entire neighborhood asking for help, "There's nothing we can really do."
Zero chance those Chicago police resignations happen. If only.
posted by Leviathant at 9:12 AM on April 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Another Philly local here chiming in to say fuck Paul Vallas. We're all so glad he lost in Chicago.
posted by desuetude at 9:13 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by desuetude at 9:13 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by nightcoast at 10:42 AM on April 5, 2023 [8 favorites]