Chicago Politics

Press Availability 6.16.26

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson hosts press availability.

Transcript

0:00 I'm proud to announce that we have so far matched more than 19,000 young people with jobs and opportunities throughout the city of Chicago. With our program starting on Monday, June 22nd, the opportunity for young people to begin earning a paycheck, gaining experience, and building skills that can help shape their future is just right around the corner. These young people will be connected to mentors, career pathways, and safe environments where they can grow and thrive.

0:31 These opportunities are about more than just a summer job. They're about helping young people see what's possible for themselves. They're also about creating hope, building confidence, and opening doors for future success. And we know that when we invest in young people, we are investing in the future of our city. We also know these investments deliver true results. In the communities where the city hired the most young people last year, we also saw some of the greatest declines in shootings and homicides.

1:02 And we're going to keep investing in our young people because every young person in Chicago deserves opportunity, support, and the chance to reach their full potential. I also want to take a moment to recognize the significance of this month. Earlier this morning, we raised the Juneteenth flag in Daly Plaza. Juneteenth commemorates freedom of the last enslaved women and men in Galveston, Texas, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

1:32 It reminds us that freedom and justice are not destinations. They require continued commitment and action. And as we honor that history, I'm grateful to share a historic milestone for our city and for black Chicagoans. Life expectancy in Chicago has reached an all-time high, 79.5 years of life expectancy. This is more than just a number. It's a reflection of lives extended, families kept together in communities, becoming healthier and stronger.

2:07 and we're seeing meaningful progress in communities who have suffered the most. Black Chicagoans experienced the largest gain in life expectancy in 2024, increasing by one and a half years compared to the previous year. The racial life expectancy gap has also narrowed, falling below 10 years for the first time since 2020. And some of the largest gains occurred in communities on Chicago's south and west sides.

2:39 The history of Chicago is unfortunately one of entrenched segregation, harsh disparities, engineered conflict, and intentional disinvestment. This history has left deep scars across our neighborhoods and has created conditions that contribute to stark differences in life expectancy, even among communities separated by only a few miles. Today, we're seeing what it looks like when we center the needs of every community and work to right the wrongs of our shared past.

3:14 Today, we can point to real progress. Black Chicagoans are living longer. The racial life expectancy gap is shrinking, and we're not addressing physical health issues, but also mental health as well. So in other words, we're addressing both by making sure that we pass innovating, progressive revenue streams like the first of its kind, the social media amusement responsibility tax or the smart tax.

3:50 We can fund critical services like our mental health clinics and our crisis response teams. We're seeing what's possible when we challenge these big tech corporations to pay their fair share. Within the first four months of the year, smart tax revenues have exceeded initial projections. and its current pace the tax is expected to generate roughly 58.7 percent more revenue than originally forecast and we're continuing to create pathways to economic stability and

4:25 opportunity and that's why we're also investing in home ownership through our homegrown part homegrown purchase assistance program we're helping more chicagoans overcome one of the biggest barriers to buying a home. This $21 million investment helps eligible first-time homebuyers with down payments and closing costs. Depending on income and location, families may qualify for up to $70,000 in assistance because home ownership still remains

4:55 one of the strongest pathways to building wealth, creating stability, and investing in future generations. So, as we honor Juneteenth, we're recommitting ourselves to building a city where every family has the opportunity to thrive, build wealth, and remain rooted in their community. And of course, June is also Pride Month, a time to celebrate, uplift, and stand with our LGBTQ plus community. I'm proud that our administration appointed Antonio Keene, Chicago's first director of LGBTQ plus affairs,

5:28 making Chicago the largest city in the nation, with an executive-level position dedicated to advancing LGBTQ plus equity. I'm also grateful to welcome Commissioner Kenneth Gunn from the Chicago Commission of Human Relations. Their leadership, along with our administration's investment to strengthen LGBTQ plus representation across the city government and support community-serving organizations is helping us build a more inclusive Chicago.

5:59 This month, we're not only celebrating the contributions of LGBTQ plus Chicagoans, we're also recognizing the challenges, the discrimination and violence that too many have endured simply for being who they are. And that's why our commitment remains clear. Every resident deserves the opportunity to live safely, freely, and authentically. Every resident deserves access to the resources and support that they need to thrive. because that's how we build a stronger city. And through belonging, through opportunity, through investing in people, that's how we protect the soul of Chicago.

6:31 And while we're proud of the progress we've made, we know there's still much more work to do. But every step we take to expand opportunity, improve health outcomes, increase home ownership and affirm dignity of every resident moves us closer to the Chicago that we all deserve. A safer Chicago is one where every person feels valued, every family feels supported and every resident knows that they belong thank you all for indulging me and with that i'm happy to answer any of your questions uh one question one follow-up thank you

7:04 i'm here testing testing good good afternoon good afternoon so if the city council either rejects or just doesn't take a vote on the parking meter transfer is this would the city have financial risk involved if if the current owner or potential future owner took the city

7:34 to arbitration well look as we know you know the 2008 parking meter deal is not even arguably it's the worst municipal deal in the history of municipalities and the way the ordinance was structured and designed the authority rests solely on city council to be able to make this decision It's a pretty ironclad structure. You know, as far as, you know, the ramifications of any decision, you know, look, I think that is something that the city council is going to have to heavily consider.

8:05 I'm going to do my part to give the city council all that it needs in order to be able to make a sophisticated response. But again, this is a terrible deal in 2008. And, you know, that responsibility based upon city code rests with city council. outside of the city council's you know purview to to agree or to approve or not approve do you think that this should be approved you know you're effectively put forward the ordinance

8:36 recommending approval is that is that your official position well i mean look i'm doing what the law requires me to do and you know look i i believe that the city council was going to deliberate intentionally as they should right you know and as far as you know the outcome again that authority relies solely on the city council to be able to make that decision hi mayor um has superintendent selling submitted his resignation to you have you accepted it and

9:08 if so what is the time frame on his departure well first of all you know i don't discuss discuss personnel decisions and i have not received um uh any uh formal or or official notification from from him or anyone else at this time and that said getting given the departure of john hein do you anticipate that snelling will will stay on for the rest of your term or or that he's close to retirement look personnel decisions i don't discuss and as far as anyone's desire to um parate their time and their service that's a personal decision uh and again i've since you

9:42 You mentioned John Hyde. I mean, he's someone who has served this city 30 years, I believe. I know that he was awfully close with Officer Commander Bittencourt. And, look, these women and men dedicate their lives for multiple decades. in this city. I know I still have a little bit more in me, and that's what I'm going to focus on. Hi, Mayor. Hi. Can you confirm that the person taken into custody related to the crossboarding incident

10:14 is the same person who NBC5 Investigates interviewed last night? He told us that the crossboarding was his way of protesting the Trump administration, and he did not believe it was an act of racism. Do you believe that's the case? Well, look, at a time in which this country has demonstrated its proclivity to cause harm on people, and particularly black Americans, that symbol of hatred is one that we must continue to reject, and I wholeheartedly reject it.

10:54 I can't speak to anyone's motives. We can only speak to the impact and the impact was devastating. And so the investigation that is surrounded, that is surrounding this cross burning and this evil symbol of hatred, I fully expect that the investigation will will unfold in whatever consequences that come out of this investigation. i hope it it matches the the the level of not just discomfort but pain that it caused

11:30 and just switching topics here dr simbo e gay the former cdph commissioner told us that there's a pattern of retaliation and going after commissioners and staff who don't agree with certain decisions she means within the mayor's office she also touted those life expectancy numbers that you mentioned earlier as one of her top accomplishments how do you respond to that it's listen it's a great accomplishment as a city i made it clear that we're going to build a safer more affordable chicago a safer chicago leads to the extension of of life i've put forth an agenda

12:06 as well as we have produced outcomes whether it's investing in mental health investing in programs that provide support for families who are struggling with addiction, life-saving measures. All of that has been initiated by my administration. I'm going to continue to lead with that tenacity, and there's still more work to be done until we close the gap effectively. We're not necessarily giving ourselves, we're not spiking the ball. Our work still continues, and that also includes closing the achievement gap, the opportunity gap.

12:41 All of that work is centered around investing in people. Today's presentation hopefully gives you more evidence that when we invest in people, we improve people's lives. Hey, man. Hey. Alderman Lopez has an ordinance up tomorrow that would create penalties, fines for parents, punish parents whose children go to these large youth events that have caused so much coverage and have ended sometimes in violence. um what is your response to that effort by him well i mean i haven't seen the full measure from

13:15 what i understand uh the measure would create more fines and fees and penalties for parents who knowingly allow their their children to participate in in these type of gatherings you know look i've said from the very beginning it's about not just accountability it's about opportunity as well that's why i've called on the business community the philanthropic community are faith-based organizations community-based organizations to invest in safe spaces and people are doing that. Today I was just at the Art Institute

13:47 and I commended them for creating a space for over 500 teenagers to come and hang out at the Art Institute we need more of that as far as increasing penalties we know what criminalization does particularly for you know more vulnerable communities it has not led to creating safer spaces we have to do what works so i'm going to continue to call for the level of opportunity and investment and when

14:19 individuals act outside of the confines of the construction of the law those individuals should be held accountable i want to follow up on your answer to justin's question just now um you talked about your responsibility in this process to support alderman i'm curious what that looks like And I'm also curious, you know, you talked about their need to assess this sort of risk of, you know, do they try to extract a better deal or vote this down? What's the analysis that your legal team has done on that risk? I mean, it seems like it could pose, could lead to a large lawsuit.

14:51 So I'm sure you all have a stance on that. Well, look, I think it's too early to make any speculation at this point. I think at this point what What I'm just going to draw people's attention to is a couple of things. One, this is obviously, again, the worst deal ever. The law, as was constructed, it's pretty stiff. It's ironclad, quite frankly. And, you know, the city council has the responsibility to do their due diligence. As far as support is concerned, it's why we initiated this process with as much expediency.

15:23 The time frame in which the city council has to look over the measure, you know they should be as thorough as they possibly can you know i think it's just really too early to speculate at this point what the city council will ultimately do but they do bear the sole responsibility on on on passing this ordinance the authority was designed to give city council the ability to make this decision and what what requests that have been brought before my before my administration requests that we can present

15:57 and offer up, of course, I'm obviously open to it. Mayor Johnson, you went to Rome with 40-plus people. We still don't know who paid for that. We don't know what benefits to the city of Chicago have been derived from that, but we do know that when you returned from Rome, we lost the Chicago Bears. Many people online, many people have contacted me. Real Chicagoans are very upset about that.

16:29 They say that the millions, if not billions, of dollars that have been spent on illegal aliens... William, can we get to the question? Sorry, what is the question? Yeah, you know what, please, why am I the only reporter in this room who can interrupt? Let's be respectful of the other reporters' time and get to the question, please. Yeah, you don't interrupt them, you just don't. And it's really, honestly, a lot of people really find that very offensive. It's a violation of freedom of speech. It's a violation of my civil rights. William?

16:59 Direct your question to me. Yeah, so real Chicagoans are upset that you went to Rome. Nobody knows who paid for it. Nobody knows what the benefit was. They are very, very furious that the historic Chicago Bears franchise is threatening, if not already, decided to leave the city of Chicago. William, what is the question? Many people are asking the question. Yeah, go ahead. were the millions or the billions of dollars

17:30 spent on illegal aliens more valuable to the city of Chicago than the Chicago Bears and the revenue that they generate well thank you for your question and I want to make sure this is absolutely clear for the people that you engage with the whole purpose of going to the Vatican to greet the Pope was to have one, a healthy conversation around how we can repair the harm that has been promulgated by government against black americans in particular and even

18:03 immigrants and that's an important conversation the faith community plays an incredible role in not only highlighting these conditions but finding pathways in which we can actually right the wrongs and you know of course the economic connection between rome and the city of chicago particular time in which tourism is growing more people have visited chicago over the summer months than any other time in the history of Chicago, and that does infuse our economy with revenue so that we can continue to make the investments

18:34 in the most marginalized communities, right? And so that connection remains strong. I mean, as far as, I hope you're not necessarily implicating that the Bears have officially left Chicago because it's not the case. As you may have seen, we know that there's been no environmental study done in Hammond, right? There's no commitment from the local authority of the taxes that would be needed in order to build the stadium. And then three, we've just recently found out, if you've actually read this, we've recently found out that the NFL has indicated that the site that is being discussed

19:08 is not even large enough for the type of development that the Bears would need. And then finally, as you know, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that essentially created a framework and a structure that already exists that we have. There's no proposal or plan for the Bears anywhere in Illinois or outside of Illinois with the exception of the plan that I put forth a couple of years ago. So I'm looking forward to talking to all stakeholders to make sure that the Bears remain in the city that I believe that they do belong in, which is Chicago.

19:40 Well, keeping all of that in mind, today you raised the Juneteenth flag. Juneteenth in Chicago is typically one of the most violent days. dozens in some cases 10, 20, 30, 40 80 shootings on June 2 for some reason and I'm wondering, or a lot of Chicagoans are wondering, a lot of Chicagoans are asking, considering the violence in Chicago, a cyclist was killed on the bike path in Grant Park last night,

20:11 shot dead, riding his bike in Grant Park. William, where's the follow-up question, please? Along the historic Chicago lakefront. A lot of Chicagoans are asking me, will you and Stacy deploy some of your 150-plus Chicago police officers to keep the citizens of Chicago safe, especially in light of what you just said about tourists that are perhaps considering coming to Chicago.

20:41 Thank you for the question. In terms of the priority around safety, it is still my top priority. Look, we have a couple of things that are going... You're not going to interrupt me. No. Okay, thank you, thank you. With everything that's going on in our city and our country, particularly around community safety it's why we were incredibly disappointed that Donald Trump cut 800 million dollars out of the budget for violence prevention he cut the police department budget by 30 percent the ATF we're talking about a division of government that is responsible for

21:15 getting illegal weapons off the streets of Chicago you know it's unfortunate that this this president has worked overtime to literally defund the efforts that create safer communities what I'm going to continue to do the 11,000 plus police officers that serve this city the women and men we're going to continue to make sure that they have the support that they need but it's not policing alone as you heard during my presentation where we have hired more young people is where we saw the greatest decline in violence where we've expanded mental health support services and job opportunities we've also seen decline in violence where we've invested in building more affordable

21:49 homes expanding opportunities for people to purchase homes that's something that's important I remember, and if you look at Donald Trump's black agenda, he promises to do all the things that I'm doing, but he's failed to do it. I wish the president would actually follow the lead of Chicago by actually investing in black America. Because the best way in which we work, he needs to work with me, right? Because we have put forth an agenda that he actually promised he would do. He's failed to do that.

22:20 He has cut every single area that black folks have fought for, education, housing, health care, transportation, and good-paying jobs. He has been an absolute miserable failure and a disappointment to this country. Hi, Mayor. Hi. It's good to see you again. Yes, hello. So Merlin Liu, who was interviewed by NBC5, who admitted to allegedly burning the cross in Grant Park, During that interview, he seemed to lack an understanding of the meaning behind burning across and the implications of that.

22:54 How concerning is that to you as mayor, obviously, of a city with a predominantly black population? And do you think there needs to be more education around that? Well, look, I can't speak to his lack of or understanding of the gravity of what he is alleged of having done. And, you know, again, it's a painful reminder of how hatred towards black Americans still permeates, you know, in our society.

23:33 you know i think it was james baldwin that said that power and ignorance is the most ferocious enemy of justice and so it's it's not an escape trap door to walk in ignorance you know as a proud social studies teacher uh someone who not only taught history but understands the value of history we do that so we don't forget the harm that was done to people

24:05 groups and particularly black Americans while also creating a pathway to restore and what I'm hoping in this moment is that the people of Chicago use this as a rally to put forth a type of economic response that can make black communities whole if we repair the west and south sides of the city of chicago this city becomes a shining example of

24:36 what a society could look like right i've just talked to you about some of the numbers and i don't mean to lecture and i apologize if it's coming across that way but i just shared with you some of the numbers that we have put forward and as a result of our investments it's changing lives. Black people are living longer. More young people have opportunity. We're creating Pathways for generational wealth through home ownership so that families can establish and keep their roots here and they can grow old together.

25:08 And so I think in terms of how we can educate society, look no further than the agenda that I put forward. Every area of investment is tethered to the demands of the formerly enslaved. Housing, education, health care, transportation and good paying jobs. I always add the friendly amendment of environmental justice. It's 400 years of harm. That's not something that you can repair in one term over three years or a few budgets. It's got to be sustainable.

25:38 And so our job in this moment is to make sure that we are not only educating people, but we are calling people to something higher. And that's to make sure that the most vulnerable and the least of these amongst us receive the full benefit of what this country promised. and um can you i don't think you from nbc5 i don't think you were able to confirm if the person in custody is merlin lu you know again i i i know that there's a person of interest and you know i don't you don't have this specific name but we can get that confirmed for you

26:16 good afternoon good afternoon before i get my questions i wanted to bring your attention to when you did the storm damage assessment in my neighborhood, Maple Park, subdivision of West Pullman out of Cooper Park, because it was originally said it was going to be 160th and Troop, which is right around the corner. That field house in the park is the one I continually refer to as being overdue, 60 years overdue for an expansion. It's very cramped in there.

26:49 Anyway, on to my questions. So with your administration running out the clock toward next month's last regular meeting and issuance of a harm report, when is the reparations task force going to heed the Illinois Attorney General's public access counselor's determination that the task force is indeed a public body that must make its regular meetings along with hearings accessible to the general public.

27:19 and the news media under the Illinois Open Meetings Act? That is, what is there to hide at the regular meetings? Yeah, well, thank you for the question. So, you know, thank you for acknowledging the fact that on the 22nd and 23rd, there will be two public hearings around reparations, right? And, you know, again, as far as task force are concerned or even advisory groups, We have a number of them, and that information can always be made available for anyone who wishes to have that.

27:58 But the important thing here is that the most important part of this process is to ensure that these public hearings are just that. And we are encouraging residents of this city to come for both of those days to issue their public comments. And I trust that this process will not only continue to unfold, but it will demonstrate and create a pathway to continue the work that we're already doing to repair the harm that has been done against black Americans, particularly here in Chicago. Well, to note, the minutes and the agendas from those meetings have yet to be posted, as promised.

28:34 But on to the next question. What stopped Leo XIV as the fourth black pontiff and the first U.S.-born one during your audience with him from signing on to advocating for reparations via pen and pulpit, as you hoped? And what did Yusef Jackson and Stacey Gates contribute to that conversation, if at all? Well, you know, look, that conversation with me and Pope Leo XIV was just a humbling exchange.

29:07 Again, him offering up an apology on behalf of the church and the role that the church played in slavery and the perpetual harm against black folks here in America and really around the globe was a powerful statement, and it really speaks to his character. We did have a conversation about reparations, and I think we're going to continue to call on not just Pope Leo XIV, but Americans and really the globe to really begin to put forward policies

29:40 that prepare the harm that was done against black Americans. It's not even debatable anymore. I mean, it's never been, but it shouldn't be even in question. it's why I'm working so hard to invest in those five areas of the formerly enslaved fought for post the civil war more work to be done The role of the delegation was a number of Chicagoans that all played a critical role, whether it was the faith leaders that were there to substantiate and carry out or lift up the message of the work that Chicago was doing,

30:14 whether it was the business community as we worked to expand tourism and create more economic development in our city, whether, of course, it's fighting for labor rights. Workers all over this country and around the world are struggling with affordability. It's an incredible crisis. It's why we're building affordable homes in Chicago. It's why we're creating down payment assistance. It's why we're building the missing middle operation so that we can create owner-occupied homes. Black and women-owned developers are participating in the economic prowess of our growing economy here in Chicago.

30:44 And so all of us play a part. Not one entity in this city can solve the historic systemic predicament that we have been under for a very long time. So it's going to take the labor community, the faith community, the business community, the philanthropic community, community-based organizations, all of us coming together to build the safest, most affordable big city in America. Thank you very much. Do you hope to get him on board anytime soon? Look, everything that I do is centered around hope. Everything that I do. Thank you for that. Thank you. Good afternoon.

31:14 Good afternoon. After some really high-profile deaths on e-scooters on Chicago streets, I'm looking into why they're not allowed on the Lakefront Trail or the 606, some of the most safer non-car areas where they could be great commuter things. Park District says they're still not allowed, although if you have a private scooter, if you have money for a private e-scooter, you can zip along both of those easily. It's just people who have to rent them. Would your administration be open to looking into that again? I would be.

31:46 Okay. Next, a report came out showing that crime has gone up in areas around vacant schools, after-school closings. What are the biggest challenges to repurposing those buildings? I mean, obviously, it didn't happen in Aram or Lori Lightfoot. Is your administration facing problems when it comes to saying, hey, we've got this building, housing, business, something else, community center? Well, look, we said this from the very beginning. For those of you who may have known my interaction in government, in politics,

32:19 When I was an organizer with the Chicago Teachers Union, we made it very clear that this would be of detriment to Chicago and particularly black Chicago. And, you know, it's not one of those things where you're flaunting that you are right. But this is why when black folks say that the pain is real, you should believe us. and the largest closing of public institutions in the history of Chicago

32:50 being carried out by two administrations ago that has left irreparable harm. I guess the question is moving forward, what can you do with them? I think it's important. This is why we celebrate Juneteenth. If we don't carry out an agenda that reflects on our past, when we say we should not forget, then it doesn't allow for the full context of why moving forward is so imperative. So just bear with me for a second. When I first became mayor, we did an overlay of communities where schools have been closed and where unemployment was high. And it was not a surprise to us that the violence was the heaviest in those particular communities. And so that's why we've been intentional about investing in those particular communities.

33:34 Now, as far as the buildings are concerned, right now through the Public Buildings Commission, there are five formal closed schools that are being repurposed as of date, and we're happy to get you the information that's needed. We're working hard to repurpose those buildings, but they have to be of community benefit. And it has to be – we have to ensure that the community participates in the redevelopment. I know Louis Armstrong, which is in Austin, not too far from where I live, that building has been purchased, and there's a repurposing effort to go there.

34:05 The challenge has been what it's always been. We have not had consistent administrations to highlight the west and south sides of the city of Chicago. That's why I'm doing it. And that's why you're seeing the life expectancy increase in Chicago, the life expectancy gap between black Chicago and other Chicagoans is continuing to close. It's why you look at Auburn Gresham, you look at Roseland, Inglewood, Austin, where we have hired more young people, we have seen a great return on that investment by reducing violence it's why I put forth the first

34:36 of its kind, the social media amusement responsibility tax, and now it's performing at a better rate than what our conservative estimates have laid out and that money is going to go right towards mental and behavioral health care services which the west and south sides in particular have called for decades now, so we're going to continue to do that work and those five buildings, we're happy to get that to you through our as I chair the the Public Buildings Commission, and we're moving with urgency to make sure that these buildings get repurposed and that it's of a benefit for the community.

35:07 How are you doing, Mayor Johnson? Good. I'm sorry, your shirt looked like a St. Louis Cardinals shirt for a quick second. I would never. I knew you would, but just for a hot second there, we almost had problems. I know. I would never. Thank you. Certainly not here. I know you don't talk about personnel decisions, but I wonder if you might weigh in a little bit on Superintendent Snelling's contributions to your administration and the goals for your term. Yeah, well, look, I mean, again, I had a very clear agenda coming in, building a safe and affordable city,

35:38 and that investing in people and having law enforcement not bear the brunt and the responsibility of community safety, that that had to be a part of the equation. We continue to ask law enforcement to do too much. We just do. And the thing that I do appreciate about the partnership that we've been able to forge is that the collaboration with CBI, our community violence intervention workers, previous administrations and superintendents had a tough time working collaboratively with individuals who have been justice involved,

36:11 but they, of course, have transformed their lives. We're not experiencing that disconnect, right? There's still more work to be done. Don't get me wrong. nothing is perfect yet but we're working and striving towards perfection and i think that's been incredible i said that we need to hire at least 200 more detectives we have superseded that and his understanding and appreciation of my goal to make sure that we have more detectives played a part in having one of the highest clearance rates that we've had the highest at

36:41 least in over a decade because solving crime serves as a deterrent and then i just think finally you know it's important that we ensure that the which is incredibly important that constitutional policing has to be tethered to building the morale of law enforcement right and providing mental health support services for our police officers who experience a great deal of of of of hardship you know the job is incredibly hard it's getting harder and we're grateful for the individuals that are you know still committed to serving you know in our police department and

37:15 And, you know, again, it's not just superintendent, it's his entire top brass. You know, again, we're grateful for Chief Hyde and his contribution. Chief Erseti, the chief of detectives, Angel Navalis, who's done some good work around restoring, you know, community participation and community policing. So I can go on and on. But the point being that the morale, you know, investing in CBI, you know, of course, making sure that we have more detectives and taking the full force of government approach,

37:46 that's something that our police department has been certainly amenable to, and we're seeing some benefit of that type of cooperation. I just heard you answer Monica's question about repurposing school buildings and talking about the investments in the west and south side, not having had consistent leadership in order to get there. And I also heard you answer Melody's question about sort of racism and that sort of thing and talking about how undoing a lot of that can't just be fixed in one term or a few budgets.

38:23 You laying the groundwork for something here, Mr. Mayor, that you want to talk to us about? Or maybe when you might want to talk about it? You know, Jeff, what I'm going to say is probably going to upset your colleagues, but you're the best. pull the room i'm sure you'll get a different answer obviously it's unanimous jake is saying it's true it's true right that's it you're getting better at this too um you know look i will say this i mean i'm enjoying what i'm doing it's look it's hard it's a tough job you know um it's not as

39:01 tough as having a house full of teenagers of course you know and it's been an incredible joy this has been quite the journey I mean who would have thought that a middle child of 10 coming from a working class family with no political ties or special arrangements to create a trajectory for me to run one of the largest economies in the world that can only happen in a place like Chicago right the you know the birth workplace of so much, whether it's, you know, gospel, soul, the modern form of jazz, and

39:39 of course the civil rights movement that has a long history in this city, standing up against tyranny and, you know, previous administrations that ignored entire sections of the city of Chicago. I mean, when I was on a hunger strike fighting to keep a school open, I wasn't thinking about running the city of Chicago. right when we were out protesting against massive school closings and calling for tiff surplus or the to tax the rich that one day i will be in a position to do that and look at what we've

40:13 accomplished we've actually been able to tax the rich we've invested more in our public schools and there's a lot of work to be done but you know i'm focused on that work right now and soon enough we'll get into that hyper political season i actually think it's this is just my own you know position i think we should be concentrating on the midterms because we have seen how the federal government has placed more pressure on municipalities i think municipalities all agree that we have to challenge the states to do more i talked to mayors all over the country

40:46 and all over the world literally and this question was asked earlier what's the benefit of going to other places on the planet because you can begin to learn from one another uh you know if you look at what's happening in italy right now there's a very similar frame at the national level that we're fighting here in america and so cities like rome and chicago and london and detroit we all have to come together to find pathways to to support people and we have to have a state government that supports these local municipalities as well so you know not not not to obfuscate what you're

41:18 asking and i get it but i want to make sure that i'm focused on the work we're we're praying and I'm hoping for a great summer. We're looking forward to it. And, you know, when the politics get to the appropriate time, when politics gets to be discussed, I promise you, Jeff, you have earned the right, maybe not for an exclusive, but maybe the second person I called after my wife. Wouldn't dream of getting in the way of first. Not as smooth as Jeff. But very patient, though. Thank you. I know it's been a while.

41:48 I am the last one here. On that subject, George Cardenas announced his candidacy today. He's one of many that may join or will join. He also said that his concern is that the city has a management problem. What does it say about your management problem with so many people who are interested in running for mayor? Well, I mean, look, I'm not the first mayor to have people who wish to have the seat of the mayor, right?

42:21 So that's not breaking news. You know, as far as management is concerned, there's no secret that we've had 30-plus years of austere budgets where pensions in particular were not secure and working people lined with the support of elected leaders prior to me arriving helped line the pockets of the ultra-rich and big corporations at the expense of workers.

42:52 And that is a problem that I've inherited and we're working to put us on a better and a stronger course. I think the bigger question that I think that all of us should be asking, why are we not challenging big corporations and the ultra-rich to pay their fair share in taxes? We don't have a management issue. We have a revenue issue. And the fact that we have individuals who can't see through the harsh realities,

43:23 it's problematic, but it's why I'm focused, and i have very clear vision that in order to transform this city we have to invest in the most vulnerable and the least amongst us that is that is that is a righteous call to action and we have to challenge those with means to put more skin in the game and that's exactly what i'm doing and of course there's more work to be done but we have a revenue crisis i'm grateful that the state of illinois has embraced this effort to tax the rich there's a lot more work that we can

43:54 do in that area, and I'm calling on all elected leaders, particularly Democrats. We're the party that ostensibly stands up for working people. Where are those voices calling for the ultra-rich to pay their fair share in taxes? I mean, I'm saying it. I'm actually producing it. If we were all pulling in the same direction to challenge corporations and the ultra-rich to pay their fair share in taxes, the city of Chicago, as we continue to experience economic growth, we could actually do this work a lot faster. And I'm going to continue to organize and work with people across this city and this state to pull us in the same direction,

44:27 and that's to build the safest, most affordable big city in America. And back to parking meters, I know you've mentioned several times that this is an ironclad deal. There are some of your allies in city council that think there might be some wiggle room, that there might be some leverage that city council has. Is there? Have you had any conversations with Stone Peak about if there's anything that the city can get from this? well i'm glad you mentioned stone peak because we put you know their representatives in direct communication with city council look there might there might be i mean this is why i

45:00 it's important that they go through a thorough process you know again at this point to speculate what could be maneuvered based upon the ordinance I think would would be a it would it would be a miscalculation right and so I think that's why I moved with expediency the City Council should be deliberative they should work through a timeline but they should do it you know within the framework that it's been established and if there are ways in which elements of

45:33 the contract can be further considered you know I trust that the 50 Alders who have this responsibility will be able to see it or if it's not there you know be open and transparent about what's available and what's not have you had any conversations with Stone Peak about this well look our responsibility was to make sure that stone peak talks directly with city council because it's their authority so you know my conversations have really been centered around making sure that city council is in direct

46:06 communication with stone peak as well as having a very thorough process that i trust that they'll undergo and they'll be able to make a decision accordingly thank you everyone thank you all

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