Chicago budget battle: Aldermen respond to Mayor Johnson's claims of dishonesty

CHICAGO - Chicago’s budget fight is getting personal. 

Mayor Brandon Johnson says aldermen who accused his office of failing to reach out are "being dishonest."

He said that in an exclusive one-on-one with Fox Political Reporter and Editor Brandon Pope. Now, some aldermen are responding. 

Chicago's budget battle 

The backstory:

The mayor’s office shared screenshots with Fox Chicago of calls and texts to Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th) that appeared unanswered. Sources inside the mayor’s office also say she told a representative of the mayor's team to stop calling her office. 

In an interview with Fox Chicago, Nugent disputed the accusation. 

"The idea that we’re non-communicative with the staff is just obscene," said Nugent. "We see them every day in city hall and we chit-chat, but until the mayor comes back with a responsible, thoughtful proposal, this is where we are."

Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) says he hasn’t met with Johnson one-on-one during his time in office. 

"If we’re talking about people being disingenuous, I’ve been in office for 28 years and I’ve met with every mayor except for this one when it comes to substantive issues," said Beale. "If he wants to say people are dishonest, he needs to look in the mirror and decide who’s being dishonest."

At issue in the mayor’s budget is a corporate head tax, which he’s billing as the "Equitable Employer Tax." 

The proposal would charge companies with a workforce of 125 people $25 per employee, per month. Companies would be exempt if they hire employees who work primarily in designated socioeconomically disadvantaged areas on the South and West sides.

"Asking them to contribute a little bit more, to invest in housing and homelessness, to invest in youth employment, to invest in CPI proven strategies that drive violence down. I believe that's a reasonable expectation," said Johnson in his interview with Fox Chicago. 

28 members of city council sent a letter to Johnson Tuesday stating they won't support a budget with a tax on businesses. They believe it is a "job killer" and could drive out businesses. 

"We’re always willing to sit down and work," said Beale. 

Shutdown possible if budget fails

Numerous members of the block of 28 have told Fox Chicago they don’t want a repeat of last year’s budget process, where they submitted their own alternative budget with mixed results. But if a budget doesn’t pass by December 31, a historic municipal government shutdown is on the table. 

"Nobody wants a government shutdown," said Nugent. "They’ve just decided, for whatever reason, to present a budget that doesn’t have the votes."

"It’s not our job to come up with ideas and try to work this out," said Beale. "His job as an executive is to present us with a balanced budget. It’s our job as aldermen to vote it up or down." 

Johnson sees it differently. 

"It is their responsibility to pass a budget," said Johnson. "It’s my job to present a budget. And I have. It’s a balance budget and it speaks to the demands that people have called for."

Nugent and Beale say the removal of the corporate head tax is a non-negotiable in budget talks. Johnson appears bullish on keeping it. Recent election results show many residents side with the mayor. 

Roughly 88 percent of voters on the South and West sides, who answered a non-binding referendum said yes to taxing large corporations to fund social services. The advisory referendum appeared in the 5th, 8th, 21st and 24th wards. All but one of those wards, the 21st, are led by aldermen who oppose the corporate head tax. 

Fox Chicago reached out to all four alders (Desmond Yancy (5th), Michelle Harris (8th), Ronnie Mosley (21st) and Monique Scott (24th)) for comment this week, but we have not yet heard back. 

According to the Illinois municipal code, "the budget director prepares (the budget) and the mayor approves it. The council may revise it, and the revised version becomes the basis for the appropriation ordinance." 

It also says the council "can change items before final action, and it can't appropriate more than the city's estimated available resources."

What's next:

Chicago must pass a budget by Dec. 31 to avoid a government shutdown. Essential services like police and fire would remain operational, but the fate of other municipal workers could be in peril.