Chicago Politics

Press Availability 11.17.25

Chapters

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson hosts press availability.

Transcript

0:29 Very well. Good afternoon, everyone. I want to start by talking about an incident that occurred on Friday at 11 p.m. right here at City Hall. An unknown individual attempted to start a fire outside of the building. Security camera footage shows this individual set fire to the outside of the building before fleeing the area. Thankfully, the fire did not spread beyond the initial flame, and a CPD officer was on duty to monitor the situation.

1:00 While we do not know the motives of this attempted arson, it goes without saying that this type of violence has no place in our politics. While we may have strong disagreements on various issues, there is never any acceptable use of violence in a democracy. This is an active criminal investigation, and we will provide updates as they become available. I would also like to speak briefly about the news over the weekend that the Texas National Guard,

1:31 those troops are withdrawing from the state of Illinois. This withdrawal represents an unconditional surrender by the Trump administration. But more than that, it represents a massive waste of taxpayer dollars. The troops sat idle for more than six weeks, doing nothing to make our city safer. The estimated costs of these types of National Guard deployments are in the hundreds of millions of dollars. It is not lost on us that as we work through our budget proposal

2:06 and work hard to protect programs while making difficult decisions, Over millions of dollars, the Trump administration is wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on National Guard deployments that never actually deploy. This is on top of the $40 billion that the Trump administration has sent to Argentina while Americans are still dealing with the fallout of the gap in food assistance funding. The people of Chicago and Texas deserve a full accounting on how much taxpayer dollars

2:40 were actually wasted on this political stunt. We promised to fight back against the militarization of our cities using every tool at our disposal, and we were successful in that effort. As we said from the beginning, the Texas National Guard belongs in Texas. There are many problems in Texas, including widespread poverty. That's what the governor of Texas should be counting on,

3:10 and Governor Abbott should focus fully his attention on addressing that. The withdrawal of National Guard troops comes on the heels of the news that CBP leader Greg Bovino's withdrawal from Chicago. Bovino caused terror and chaos and left a trail of tears in our city. His assault on working class communities across our city were reprehensible. It ultimately undermined the work that we are making to make sure that the city of Chicago is a much safer place to live.

3:45 The Trump administration half-heartedly even tried to then take credit for the work of the Chicago Police Department, our community partners, and our investments in driving down crime and violence. Pathetically, they even tried to point to the historic decline in violence over the summer as a result of their work, even though they did not arrive to Chicago until September. Apparently, the city of Chicago is so beautiful and beloved that the Trump administration believed that September counts as a summer month. While the Texas National Guard withdrew, as well as Bovino's redeployment,

4:24 it certainly represents a significant victory in our fight against the unconstitutional federal overreach. The Trump administration's war on poor and working people, however, is still ongoing. We will continue to press our case in court, and we must continue to mobilize all available resources to fill the gaps left by Trump's cuts in health care, food assistance, and public education. We also must continue to keep our neighbors informed and activated around ICE activity in Chicago.

4:58 We are glad that our collaboration work with the county, the state, and our community partners and city council has proven to be effective. But we still have a long road ahead of us to build a country where the needs of the people are prioritized over the greed of billionaires and large corporations. We saw just how unfair our economic system is this weekend when Chicago homeowners, particularly homeowners on the south and West Side, were hit with the largest property tax increase in decades.

5:29 Because of the drop in the value of downtown commercial properties as a result of the pandemic, a greater proportion of the property tax burden fell on Chicago's neighborhoods this year. Our low-income and working-class neighborhoods were hit particularly harder. The area with the most drastic increase were the neighborhoods with the least ability to afford it. The median homeowner's tax bill in West Garfield Park, for instance, increased by over 100 percent.

6:00 North Lawndale increased by nearly 100 percent. And Englewood by over 80 percent. It is no secret that we have a broken property tax system that essentially forces poor and working people to subsidize the wealthy. And that is why I did not propose a property tax increase in my budget proposal. Instead, we are asking the largest corporations in our city to pay a little bit more in taxes so that we can fund the critical programs that improve the quality of life for all of Chicago.

6:33 We are calling on city council to work with us to pass a budget that does not include a property tax increase or additional taxes on garbage or groceries. In the midst of Trump's cuts for large corporations and the ultra-rich, the largest upward transfer of wealth in our nation's history, it is incumbent upon all of us to work towards solutions that do not disproportionately burden poor and working people. And let me be clear, as clear as I possibly can,

7:04 I will veto any budget that includes a property tax increase. Working-class Chicagoans can simply just not afford a property tax increase. We have made some adjustments to our community safety charge, this proposal that ultimately is working to address the concerns raised by some of our alders. Our updated proposal would return to the original threshold of only taxing companies with more than 100 employees. But we would use those additional funds to set up a community business grant program to support small and medium-sized businesses

7:40 that are operating in socially and economically disadvantaged areas, as well as important tourism and investment zones and areas with food scarcity. These adjustments are part of our ongoing efforts to work with council in good faith to address the valid concerns without returning to regressive forms of taxation that ultimately hurt working people. We are calling for a recess until the first week of December to give council some time to bring forward any new proposals that they might have.

8:13 We stand by our budget proposal, which was developed over the past seven months with careful attention to any and all potential savings. We have put forth a budget with more than $200 million in immediate savings that would translate to over $600 million in the oncoming years. But let me be clear. There are not any magic third options between cuts to core services and layoffs and revenue. Anyone who wants to pretend otherwise is being disingenuous.

8:46 We stand behind the progressive revenue that we have put forward because this moment calls for those with means to put more skin in the game. I want to make something again absolutely clear. This budget is meant and designed to protect the working people of this great city, and I will use every single tool available to me and stand by our power to ensure that working families no longer have to bear the burden of a budget being balanced off of their backs. Thank you. All right, we can do one-on-one.

9:18 We'll try to get through everybody. If you have a question that's not for the mayor, just, you know, call out who it's for. Hi, Mayor. Hi. Some of the harshest opponents of the head tax after the vote today say that the 10 to 25 vote sends a clear message that this tax should be killed entirely and that it won't work at any level. Obviously, based on your comments right now, I take it you don't agree with that analysis. How are you interpreting this rejection today? Well, look, there's still only one clear choice here for us, and that's the passive budget that protects the interest of working people.

9:51 There are obviously some members of city council that are more interested in protecting corporations. They have not provided an alternative proposal to my... to my budget, and that's why we're going to extend the time so that they have an opportunity to offer up something. Here's what I do know. It's property taxes, garbage fees, grocery taxes, or layoffs. Or we can actually protect working people. That's what this budget does. You said you'd veto any proposal that has a property tax increase.

10:25 Will you veto any proposal that doesn't have a corporate head tax? The question is, really, can you pass a budget without requiring large corporations to pay their fair share in taxes? I mean, folks will attempt to. I don't know how you do that. In fact, look, just this past weekend, I was on the west side of Chicago where I live. I was at Aspire and Zoe Life Ministries. I'm talking about hundreds of people in line for food and toilet paper.

10:56 For food and toilet paper. Now, these alders who represent communities like North Lawndale and Inglewood, who saw 100%, almost 100%, 80% increase in their property taxes, and their families are in lines for food and toilet paper. And you're asking me, should I place a greater burden on them? If that's what the question is, I'm not going to do that. These large corporations have an opportunity to put more skin in the game. We cannot balance this budget off the backs of working and poor people.

11:26 To be clear, based on what we're hearing today, are you saying, Mayor, that you will put this proposal or a slightly tweaked version of this proposal back on the board? I'm always open for negotiations. That's why we made the adjustments based upon some of the feedback. Again, we have a clear choice. People receive their property tax bills just this past Friday at a time in which Donald Trump is cutting food and health care.

11:57 The cost of living is going to increase because of the budget that the president of the United States has put forward. People are paying more for everything. And we as a city council and as city government have an opportunity to provide that relief. That's what this budget ultimately is doing. And so if there are alders that want to put up on the board to raise the property taxes, they're going to have to go out and find 26 votes to do that. And even if they find 26 votes, I'm vetoing it. Mayor, one of the criticisms we hear, Alder say that this is you, that there were changes made over the weekend, the budget was modified this morning, they didn't have enough time to digest the bond and the borrowing.

12:40 Given that this failed 10 to 25, did you make any mistakes along this process that your proposal would be rejected like that? We're not talking about a process. They might be. I'm talking about the people who are standing in lines waiting on bread and milk. These individuals are talking to me about a process. They've had several months to look at this budget. We started this process way back in April. They've had the budget for more than a month. Check this out. Not one new proposal from any of them.

13:12 You can't just be a no. You can't just be a no. You have to find ways to actually come up with solutions so that we can actually have a real debate. And so what did I do? I gave them more time. So they have more time to just say out loud. They should just say out loud, here's a question you should ask them. Apologies. Here's a question that I would recommend that you ask them. Ask them if they support raising property taxes in Inglewood and North Lawndale. Ask them if they support collecting grocery tax. Ask them that.

13:44 If you ask me, guess what I'm going to tell you? I'm going to tell you no, because I believe in being straight up with the people of the city of Chicago. There are two options here. We challenge these big corporations and the ultra-rich to put more skin in the game, or you ask people who are standing in line for bread, milk, and food and clothing, ask them to put more skin in the game. The people who are literally being run out of our communities because of the unfair tax burden that has existed in this city for too long. Hi, Mayor. Budget Director Annette Guzman said that if there were going to be cuts made to this budget,

14:16 they would have to come from public safety departments, including the Chicago Police Department. Will you veto a budget that cuts the budget for the Chicago Police Department? I don't want any layoffs, so absolutely I will veto that. No layoffs, because those layoffs mean cuts to services. We just experienced the safest summer in over 60 years. We have to double down on our efforts to make sure that we're building the safest, most affordable big city in America. And that's the thing that's disingenuous about all of this. These individuals who are calling for more cuts, they're not being honest and sincere about where those cuts are going to come from.

14:49 We're talking about the corporate fund, which the vast majority of that fund is community safety. I don't believe the people of Chicago want us laying off police officers at a time in which we're... We're collaborating with community violence intervention work. We're investing in young people. Everyone says this is the number one issue until they actually have to show up and make a hard decision. Well, guess what? We were all elected to make hard decisions. That's what we're calling for in this moment. What do you say to criticism from some of your progressive allies out there who said that funding for the Chicago Police Department,

15:21 including the $283 million this budget would borrow to cover the cost of resolving police misconduct settlements, in addition to the police department's $2.1 billion budget has really crowded out every other need that Chicagoans have from their city government? Well, first of all, no one is going to disagree that we've had police misconduct over the years that we have to address. That's why in this budget we do a couple of things. We cap overtime. If they go beyond the number that has never been right size,

15:52 they'll have to go to city council for approval. And then we also added another measure that if there is misconduct elements, there's an early warning sign so that we can get to the bottom of what could be happening with that particular police officer. So there are measures in place to address what they're concerned about. I know what we inherited. So now we're actually putting forth a modernized budget that actually addresses this. So this is a step in the right direction, and I hope that our progressive allies will join the march in our step towards progress.

16:27 I'm sorry, your hand is distracting me. I tried to do that last week. It didn't work. I'm sorry it's doing it this week. So we hear you talk about the property tax shift from businesses out to homeowners. We heard Alders talk the same thing. It seems you're seeing things from a completely different vantage point. They're making the argument, and I like your response to this, that if you tax businesses more, that you're likely to hurt the economy downtown. You're likely to increase the vacancy issues that are currently contributing to the shift because property is devalued downtown.

17:04 So, I mean, what's going to happen if businesses do get hurt more and maybe they shift employees outside of town? People aren't coming downtown. Property values go down. Doesn't that hurt homeowners in Englewood and in Austin even further, as the Pappas' reports seem to indicate? Well, look, I try not to live in hypothetical. I'm a Bears fan, so I try to live in, like, real practical terms. You know, here's what I believe folks are missing who have that particular vantage point.

17:37 The reason why, first of all, the vacancy exists is because, obviously, we're still recovering from the pandemic. There is no correlation between taxation and the success, if you will, of corporations. What we do know, though, is there is a correlation between safety and population and businesses. This is about ensuring that we do the work that strengthens our city as a much safer place to live and do business.

18:10 Keep in mind this community safety surcharge is going to go towards the area that everybody knows is the most important thing, which is to ensure that we're driving violence down in the city of Chicago. There's more evidence of community safety driving business and people out than any of the speculations that they're making. So just to be clear, you are not backing down on the head tax whatsoever. It's going to be in your budget. I'm not backing down in protecting working people. That's kind of dodging the question.

18:40 No, it's not. Is the head tax going to stay in your budget? I just said, though, Greg, I just said that I'm going to veto a budget that increases property taxes, and I'm challenging those with means, these large corporations, to pay their fair share in taxes. This community safety charge does just that. Thank you, Greg. Thank you. Thank you for a non-answer. Well, hold on a second. What's a non-answer? The corporate tax is in this budget. It will stay in this budget. Is that clear enough? All right. I mean, I don't know why you missed that the first time, though.

19:11 You got that answer before. Just follow along. Go ahead. Hey, Mayor. Alderman Timmy Knudsen said this morning that your administration lied to other aldermen by saying he supported a head tax. Say that again? He said what? He said that your administration lied to other aldermen by saying that he supported a head tax. He said that? That's not true. Well, do you think part of the problem with where you are in these negotiations right now is a debt of trust? that some aldermen have in your administration?

19:42 The alderman is not being truthful here. Okay? So this is not about trust, you all. Let me just make this very clear. This budget is about working people and poor people and the ultra-rich. Anyone who is trying to discuss this budget in any other way, The other way, they're dodging responsibility. Now, that's a dodge. You're either going to support working people or you're going to support the interests of corporations. That's what this budget is about. This is not about Brandon Johnson.

20:12 This budget is designed to make sure that the people in this city have an opportunity to live in the city that they love. This is about a billion-dollar TIF surplus that's going to go towards our public education. Ask him about that. Ask him if he supports, I have a billion dollars going towards public education. Ask him if he actually supports ensuring that we hire young people for summer jobs. And you don't just have to ask him. You can ask all of them. Make this about what it really is about. I get the storyline. People want the drama.

20:43 The drama is the fact that we have people who are starving in our city who don't even feel safe going to get groceries because they're afraid of what Donald Trump is doing. Let's stay focused here. The focus is on the people of this city. You know, you've called on aldermen to come up with their own answers, especially your opponents who have voted this down today. I don't have opponents. Especially the aldermen who voted this down today. All right, so I want to make sure that, because listen, I want to keep this civil, right?

21:14 I know that people want drama. I don't. No more drama. Okay, in the words of the great R&B hip-hop artist, Mary J. Blige. No more drama. I don't have opponents. We have people who disagree with each other. Well, the people who disagree with you voted this down today, and you have called on them to come up with answers now. Your office has a huge apparatus for analyzing budgets that they don't have. Are you willing to direct some of those resources to –

21:45 Are we willing? We've been doing that. We've been doing that since April. Of course we recognize that as a government we have a responsibility to take the ideas, and then we flush them out and see if it's practical. So Gil Villegas, the alderman of the 36th Ward, he sent me a text. He was like, yo, I was like, yo, I know how I text. He was like, you in the building? I'm like, yeah, come on through. He said I had an idea. He proposed his idea. I'm like, let's look into it. We did. It turns out that it's not feasible for us. Anyone and everyone can text me and call me, and the full force of government is available to them.

22:20 The problem is they have not sent me anything. Because you know why they haven't sent me anything? Because they know what this debate is about. it's working people or it's the ultra-rich. That's it. We're going to invest in our young people. We're going to invest in community safety, and we're going to do that by challenging those with means to put a little bit more skin in the game, or we're going to come up with proposals from those who disagree with me who believe that we should tax people in Inglewood, people in North Lawndale, people in the south in Garfield Park at a higher tax rate, particularly when it comes to their property.

22:50 Thank you for both of those questions. Hi, Mayor. Hi. I understand you want Alders to bring you. ideas if they oppose various I mean don't you think that's reasonable but will no no do you think that's reasonable if someone says no I don't like that they usually come and say well here's what I do like isn't that a reasonable exchange sure does that mean that you will also be re-evaluating for instance the structure of the head tax which has already gone through we just went through so you know the answer to that because we've done that three times already well I know that which the third one now is that let's figure out a way to hold some businesses

23:24 It's harmless, right, because we recognize that there are some unintended consequences that could, you know, arise. So, of course, I'm always open to negotiating the details of my values, just not my values. And then, finally, we've talked about the conditions in which you will veto a budget. Would you veto a budget that has a grocery tax in it or a garbage fee increase? Yes. Miranda? Hi, Mayor. Well, you don't want to ask me no questions. That's okay.

23:56 On the head tax, there's been versions that are limited to companies with over 100 employees or over 200 employees. Which version do you want to see going forward? Well, right now, we're looking at the version with 100. We just saw that with the 200 threshold, there wasn't. In terms of who would be impacted, particularly those businesses that we are working to hold harmless, right?

24:29 So that's why we're looking at this new structure that could essentially provide a reimbursement of sort, particularly those businesses that serve poor communities or have higher volumes of employees but have a smaller margin in terms of their bottom line. Got it. Do you have some examples of businesses that that would apply to? Grocery stores, for instance, could be an example, especially if we're already struggling, obviously, with, you know, with food insecurity. So it was a healthy, you know, consideration and feedback, and that's why we made the third adjustment to this.

25:02 There's been some concern from the restaurant owners that keeping the threshold at 100 might, you know, disproportionately impact the city's restaurants, which obviously employ a lot of, you know, lower-wage individuals. Do you have concerns about that? Yeah, that's why this this configuration is being considered. You asked for an example. I'll give you two groceries and restaurants. OK, thank you. Afternoon. This probably won't be a question about the head tax. Um, no, but I do have a second related question, question. Don't be so hasty. So beyond hindsight, appealing for peace and blaming everything on Trump, Greg, etc. How are you going to deescalate the riotous protesting against state authorities, brothel authorities and Chicago authorities, including yourself, because we saw that you were kind of attacked at a event recently.

25:58 I mean, look, as I said before, in our democracy, what makes our democracy possible is that we can have healthy disagreements without necessarily seeing each other as opponents and enemies. Right. There are people that I fundamentally oppose and disagree with, but I still recognize their humanity. So we're going to remain vigilant and steadfast in our commitment to making sure that we have a democracy that does not lose its way because we have fundamental disagreements.

26:29 Okay. And given the, I guess, sticker shock from people opening their tax bills this weekend, what is your plan to turn around bleeding foundational black American vote, vote, votes that have reached the point of being in an Erica Badu state of mind, as in I think you better call Tyrone. Okay, all right. Well, thank you for invoking Erykah Badu, another great hip-hop artist, so thank you.

27:03 Well, look, I actually think that these communities should call their alders, right? They don't have the call of Tyrone. Call their alders and tell them that we don't want our property taxes increased. That's the first thing that we're going to do. And then, look, I've had conversations, and I hope these alders are okay. I've had conversations with alders about what our collective work in Springfield has to be. I mean, look, here's where we ultimately have to, you know, focus our attention. We have to challenge Springfield to put forth a valiant effort to really generate progressive revenue,

27:34 because that's really how we solve the conditions in which you're describing. And they are horrific. You know, if you don't know what it's like to open up a refrigerator and there's no food in it, perhaps you may not understand my motivation. Like, I know what it's like to be low income and not poor, and it's still being difficult. These are real harsh decisions that families are dealing with, and that's why we're asking alders in this position and today to make the hard decision to ensure that we're protecting working-class people. Hi, Mayor. Hi. So your message has been, and you're saying now you would veto anything with a property tax increase,

28:09 garbage collection fee increase, right, and the grocery tax, and that those are essentially a tax on working people. Do you think your message is undercut by the fact that over the last year you have supported those policies yourself? No. Why shift now and why not? It's the right time. It's the right time to shift now. And that's what happens in politics. We actually respond to what people say. Isn't that what politicians should do? Look, I've never said that I'm perfect.

28:40 God knows I'm not. And what I am trying to do is to make right in imperfect situations. So I'm not asking you to congratulate me. I'm just simply saying that we've made a shift because we have other options. And those other options are on the table today. And I hope that our alders who are, you know, contemplating, you know, this moment, that they recognize that the options are very clear. We're going to protect working people and middle class families in this city by investing in education, youth employment and community safety.

29:12 Or we're going to place the burden on working people. And I'm saying that we don't have to do that because the ultra rich in these large corporations, they. can do more. And you're saying both wealthy corporations and the ultra-rich are being asked to pay. What do you mean by ultra-rich? Because obviously, the city doesn't have an income tax. You don't have a way to directly tax the ultra-rich. What do you mean by that that's actually included in your own budget? Well, look, here's what I'm ultimately getting at, that it's clear that the ultra-rich need to do more. Your colleague asked a very pointed question

29:46 around how we can show up better for neighborhoods that have been historically disinvested in. It does include challenging Springfield to do more. There's nothing wrong with that. It's a both-and approach. I'm not the first mayor to put forth a budget that understands the connection between Chicago and Springfield. So it's both-and. We're walking and chewing gum. We're organizing and building. We're loving and supporting. But most of all, we're defending. Good afternoon, Mayor.

30:16 Do you think the 100-employee version of the head tax with a grant program for small businesses and CEDA's is the winning version? And if not, what else could you tweak to get to 26 votes? Yeah, what else can we do, right? That is the ongoing question. And I don't mean to sound overly cantankerous. I've done my part. I've done my part. the real question should be what else can these alders who oppose challenging these big corporations to put more skin in the game

30:47 the question is what can they do, what are they willing to do at some point folks are going to have to meet me halfway I don't mind working harder, I don't I was raised in a household where we worked harder every day but those same households are working harder every day in Chicago and they're getting less So, I mean, I believe that the question is, who are we going to ask to do more? People who are already getting less or people who have more than they've ever had? I'm saying that we should ask the people who have more than they ever have.

31:20 And you know why? Because their number one issue, these big corporations, is community safety. That's their number one issue. Do you know not one corporate leader has ever come to me to talk to me about taxes? not one i've been mayor what feels like 17 years i've been mayor for two and a half years not one corporate leader said you know what mayor let's talk about taxes they say safety you know they also they talk about cutting the red tape to make it easier to do business i just and again i'm not

31:53 trying to be you know necessarily confrontational i'm just saying you all are asking me questions that the business community doesn't ask me so we have more people defending corporations and leaders who by the way are not asking those questions more people are asking questions about them that they don't bring to me let me tell you the questions that are asked to me though by the people every who live in our communities there was a woman on saturday i mean just ran at me fast charging and the whole time she yelling and she said mayor johnson what are you going to do

32:30 about our public education system and i talked about her three kids i talked about special education and i said we're going to invest we're going to put a half a billion dollars to protect black student success she stopped yelling she even gave me a hug and wanted to take a picture with me now those are the people that we are talking about and asking about not the ones that no one really these folks don't need defending these big corporations they have been defended quite well by donald trump they do not need members of city council to assist donald

33:04 trump in defending them so to clarify a fourth version of the head tax could still be on the table whatever it may look like here i'm trying to give this nice thorough responsive answer like What did you not get? Just help me understand. Yes or no. Do you think this current version is the version that Alders will have to weigh in on? They'll debate it. Okay. All right. Thank you. I asked this question with some trepidation. Now, stop being so dramatic. How are you doing, Mayor Johnson? That's funny.

33:36 I'm doing well. Listen, 7-3. The Bulls are 6-6. You know, it's not the worst weekend. I want to follow up on your answer to Alice's question when she asked about the head tax. And you said, I've done my part. Does that mean from your standpoint, negotiations on the form of a head tax are closed? So I put forth another version. They have to debate it. So, yes, I've done my part. You're asking me to make a response to something that they haven't responded to yet.

34:08 Am I missing something? Okay. I'm trying my best. You know, OK, I hope everybody's clear now. So we can't have a debate on something that is hypothetical. We can only debate what's in front. of us let's deal with the version that's in front of us and then by all means come back and ask me what happens if this doesn't work or somebody pushes back on it okay you've talked about your shift on issues like property tax increase like garbage fees like grocery tax you introduced a garbage tax continuation proposal in the finance committee back in june i'm old enough to remember

34:43 back in september when you and i were talking at clarendon park that you were in favor of the one percent i help us understand what changed the circumstances have changed right i mean we're talking about cuts to medicaid cuts to snap right you know i mean at that time when we spoke we didn't have the big nasty bill right you know so things have changed trump mayor um how are you

35:14 Good to see you. The personal property lease tax slash the cloud tax, there are a lot of small business folks who say that's a tax on working people. That's going to sock working people, small business owners, leasing property, leasing cloud computing software. Would you consider amending that proposal? I have not heard working people say that to me. Who are you talking to? I've talked to a couple business owners and some aldermen that have called out that PPLT in the cloud tax.

35:45 Okay. Well, we raised it last year. I have not heard. First of all, it doesn't affect working people the way in which it's being described. We're talking about an industry that's making more money than they even imagine. So next time you talk to those alders, tell them to text me. We can have a conversation about it. Hi, Mayor. Some of the aldermen who held a press conference who voted against the budget today said they've gone back to the E&Y report and have identified $30 to $60 million in efficiencies.

36:16 Have you received their communications on that? Is that up for consideration? I have. And, in fact, we've implemented all the things that they said that they found. They're all in the E&Y. I mean, there's a couple that, you know, this question around 311, I mean, there's some concerns about, you know, how that could impact services. But, you know, let's just keep in mind some of those individuals did not want me to do the EY report in the first place. And now they're saying go do more in the EY report that we don't want you to do.

36:47 You know, look, $80 million in savings, $600 million over the course of the next several years. There's still more work to be done. We're going to find ways to make government more productive. But if anybody believes that even 30 to 60 million dollars, I mean, that that's that's not a significant shift, quite frankly, in the ultimate goal, which is not only to balance this budget, but to make sure that we are investing in community safety. So all of the things that they have recognized, most of which we are already implementing, and there's a pathway to implement more in budgets to come.

37:22 I'm trying to understand the timing. OK. When you already had your chairman tell you there weren't votes there and she was a no, why do this today? Because I still think that the people should do their job. I mean, look, if you're asking me if I'm afraid of a no, then you don't know me very well. I'm not afraid of a no because these folks didn't tell me no. They're doing the work of the people. And what they're saying is, at least so far, these individuals are more interested in protecting the corporations, the largest corporations in our city, than protecting working people.

37:59 They told Englewood no. They told Rosalind no. They told North Lawndale no. They did tell Austin no. I'm just one of a few 80,000, 90,000 people who live in the community. But this is about making sure that the people of Chicago know what we're actually doing on their behalf. We're either going to have a budget that protects working people or a budget that protects the interests of these large corporations. And do you think the public sentiment is with you? Do you think the public agrees with you?

38:31 Marianne, here's what I will do. We can walk the streets in Inglewood and Roseland and Belmont-Cragan any day, and I'll let them answer that for you. I am confident that the people of this city who just received the largest increase of their property taxes in a decade, that they are clear that the interests of corporations should not be placed over theirs. All right. Thank you all very much. Have a good day.

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