Mayor Brandon Johnson’s continued insistence on looking to Springfield as a magical pot of gold for additional city revenue is being greeted with a stern warning from one powerful voice — Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch.
“You’ve to be honest with them, and they’re going to hear ‘no’ a lot,” Welch told the Tribune on Friday as he discussed Johnson’s administration and prospects of the new legislative session that began last week.
“Chicago is important to the state. We’ve got to help them where we can. Where that is, I don’t know,” he said. “I’m looking forward to hearing from the mayor and his team, identifying what their priorities are for ’25. We haven’t heard that yet, but I anticipate we will.”
Welch’s comments come as Johnson faced pointed criticism from fellow Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker for not doing the outreach necessary to develop “good relationships in Springfield,” adding that he’s spoken to the mayor only “perhaps, five times” since Johnson took office in May 2023.
Johnson responded by defending his relationships in Springfield. He noted that he was a staffer to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and said he had strong ties to Welch and other lawmakers.
But like Pritzker, Welch said he has had few conversations with Johnson, who frequently labels himself a “collaborator.”
“We don’t talk often, but we do talk. When he calls, I answer his call. When I call, he answers my call,” Welch said. “You know, he’s got a tough job to do. So we don’t talk very often.”
Welch recalled Johnson’s visit to Springfield last year in which the mayor had vowed to make a push for $1.1 billion for the city’s public schools. But once Johnson set foot in the Illinois State Capitol that issue evaporated and the mayor sought and received only minor, largely inconsequential, financial help.
Johnson’s chaotic tenure as mayor and his growing unpopularity also hamper efforts to gain support among the few legislative allies he has.
Welch also said he did not talk to Johnson over the mayor’s opposition last week to Pritzker-backed legislation to regulate sales of hemp used in products such as delta-8 and delta-10 THC. The legislation, viewed as a public health issue by supporters, collapsed in the House amid myriad issues, including ongoing criticism of social equity cannabis licensing. Johnson also voiced the view that hemp regulation could affect city revenues.
In his comments ripping Johnson, Pritzker also criticized Welch for failing to call the hemp bill because it lacked majority Democratic support of his caucus. But the House speaker said Friday the issue will continue to be negotiated, noting the measure has faced significant hurdles over the past three years.
As for Pritzker and the governor’s comments about the speaker, Welch said in his wide-ranging conversation, “I respect him and the job that he has to do. He has to respect the job that I have to do. We have landed some big policy victories during my four years as speaker, so I’m pretty confident that we’re going to continue to land more big policy victories.”
Welch said his job includes being able “to listen to a very large, diverse caucus.”
The speaker’s comments come as the new legislative session is getting underway for the spring as Democrats still carry supermajorities in both the House and Senate but are facing a difficult spring session in which they will have to focus primarily on closing a $3 billion budget gap. And that’s not including any of Johnson’s requests.
Johnson last week implored students at an appearance at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics to contact state lawmakers to push them for action on a Hail Mary list of long-shot revenue ideas, such as a real estate transfer tax hike, a millionaire’s tax and a graduated income tax.
But Welch said issues of additional taxation are apparently a last resort as budget talks prepare to begin, a political lesson in part from November elections in which voter pocketbook concerns over the economy and inflation helped drive Republican Donald Trump to victory in the presidential contest.
“I don’t know that talking taxes right now is being sensitive to voters. We have to continue to weigh all the priorities right now, continue to have conversations with our constituents back in the districts,” Welch said.
Chicago Tribune’s Alice Yin contributed.
