Published reports that Brandon Johnson had amassed thousands in unpaid city water bills and parking tickets has intensified concerns that the former public school teacher lacks the fiscal management skills to oversee the budget of the nation’s third largest city.
According to the reports, Johnson, a county commissioner, owed the city more than $3,357.04 in water and sewer bills and more than $400 in parking tickets.
Reporting on the unpaid bills, the Chicago Tribune wrote that “initially, the Johnson campaign released a statement noting the bills were ‘on a previously established payment plan, and are on schedule to be fully resolved before (he) takes office as our next mayor.’”
But on Friday, the Tribune noted, Johnson released a statement saying that he had satisfied the debt.
The news also brought renewed scrutiny to questionable transfers of funds by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) to finance Johnson’s mayoral run, and to violations of campaign laws in his run for county commissioner.
Johnson’s missteps have given his opponent Paul Vallas heavy gun political ammunition right before the voters have the final say on the city’s next mayor.
“Brandon Johnson’s long term refusal to pay his city water bill is opening up new questions about other instances of financial mismanagement and ethical lapses,” the Vallas campaign said in a statement released on Saturday. “Johnson racked up over $4,000 in debt that he finally satisfied yesterday after intense media scrutiny, despite the fact that he’s a highly paid lobbyist who makes almost $200,000 per year. Now, two other examples of Johnson not meeting his financial obligations, as well as the fact that he has absolutely no management experience, are calling into question his ability to be responsible for Chicago’s $28 billion budget.”
The Vallas campaign also noted that in 2020 the Illinois State Board of Elections hit Johnson’s County Commissioner campaign with $17,637 in fines “due to violations of the Campaign Disclosure Act.”
In 2016, “Johnson was successfully sued for nonpayment of a $3,657.51 debt,” the Vallas campaign statement. “Johnson lost on default judgment and had his paychecks as a lobbyist garnished until the debt was paid off.”
Johnson is a court ruling away from being thrown off the ballot.
In 2012, the Supreme Court narrowed the interpretation of a state law covering the eligibility of those running in municipal elections; the law stated “a person is not eligible for an elective municipal office if that person is in arrears in the payment of a tax or other indebtedness due to the municipality…"
Just four years before, the court interpreted the law to mean that a candidate in debt to a municipality could be removed from the ballot.
That occurred in 2010 when a special panel ruled that candidate for Wheaton City Council, Scott MacKay, should be removed from the ballot for failure to pay property taxes.
But the 2012 ruling made it harder to strike a candidate’s name for unpaid bills. Clarifying legislation was approved by the legislature in 2013 saying a candidate could remain on the ballot but was required to pay off an outstanding debt before taking office.
Finally, on Thursday several members of the CTU filed complaints with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, saying that the union is violating its own bylaws by spending dues money on Johnson’s campaign.
The unions have accounted for more than 95% of Johnson’s campaign contributions, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“The CTU and its political action committee have given Mr. Johnson more than $2 million and even dipped into the pot of individual teachers dues to give him an extra boost before the April 4 runoff,” the Journal reported.