New endorsements announced for Chicago mayoral election
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce expected to endorse Paul Vallas for mayor
Chicago's leading business group may announce its endorsement for mayor in the next few days.
CHICAGO - The Illinois Nurses Association announced its endorsement for the Chicago mayoral runoff this week: Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson.
The union represents workers at public and non-profit healthcare providers and joins an array of community and organized labor groups in supporting the former teacher and union organizer.
Meanwhile, Chicago's leading business group may announce its endorsement for mayor in the next few days. They are virtually certain to back Paul Vallas.
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The president and CEO of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Jack Lavin said the group appreciated Johnson's willingness to meet and discuss their disagreements with him on filling police department vacancies and on his plan for big tax increases.
"We need to help our businesses and Brandon Johnson — I think it started at $2 billion, It's down to a billion — and the most hated tax is the employee head tax," said Lavin. "It just sends a message to every site selection consultant, every company in the country: the unwelcome sign here in Chicago. We're gonna charge you to hire people in Chicago."
Johnson called the tax increase part of his campaign platform a, "living document," subject to change.
"He's saying, 'we'll work together. These are all proposals. And we'll work together.' But Paul Vallas, on the other hand, he understands… the current mayor put an automatic increase in the property taxes every year by tying it to CPI. Paul Vallas says we need to get rid of that," said Lavin.
The business group also prefers Vallas' plan to rapidly ramp up police hiring.
"We are not for defunding the police. Brandon Johnson at one point said, ‘defund the police.’ He's kinda walked back from that. But we are not for defunding the police. We need to fill the vacancies," Lavin said.