Chicago.- Brandon Johnson, county commissioner and organizer of the teachers union, who called for a great expansion of social programs in Chicago, as well as new taxes, was elected mayor of the third largest city in the country on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press .
Johnson’s victory over Paul Vallas, a fellow Democrat with much more conservative views on crime and education, revealed that voters rejected the tough-on-crime policy that has become a staple of municipal elections. in recent years and instead embraced a decidedly progressive vision of a city that continues to work its way out of a pandemic malaise.
The mayor-elect, who will take office in May, will inherit a Chicago in flux, with a downtown that is emptier than before the pandemic, a Police Department that has no permanent leader, and a public school system that has seen a decline in enrollment. Fewer people have traveled on buses and L trains, and census estimates have shown a decline in population.
Johnson, 47, who in early polls drew just 3 percent support, overcame lack of name recognition to beat out several more well-known candidates and advance to Tuesday’s election. In recent weeks, he cemented progressive support by vowing to improve lives for struggling residents, beating Vallas by 11-point margin of victory in the first round of voting in February, aided by large donations from unions.
“I know what he fights for,” said Mary Bridges, 41, a third-grade teacher who voted for Johnson. “I believe in his administration to help improve schools and unite the police.”
The race was defined by a pandemic-era crime surge that left Chicagoans scared, angry and ready to chart a new course, even when they disagreed about what it should look like.
Johnson, who has distanced himself from his earlier support for defunding law enforcement, spoke about improving public safety through more than just policing, including youth employment programs and mental health treatment. Vallas called for expanding Chicago’s police force and taking a hard line on petty crime. With 91 percent of the vote expected through Tuesday night, the results were pretty close, reflecting divided visions for the city’s future. Johnson got 51.4 percent of the tabulated votes and Vallas got 48.6 percent.
“It is clear from tonight’s results that the city is deeply divided,” Vallas said in his concession speech, reiterating his view that “public safety is a fundamental right” and that “without it, continue to define ourselves more by our differences than by what we yearn for in common.”
