What justification is there for countenancing the ongoing missteps in decision-making and spending responsibilities that are becoming characteristic of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration?
There appear to be division and finger-pointing as new spending priorities materialize. The recent mass resignation of Board of Education members appointed by Johnson is disturbing, signaling the likelihood of more rough going yet to come.
At the center of this crisis is Johnson, whose acolytes are jumping ship to distance themselves from the mess he has created. Like Samson, Johnson appears to be collapsing the temple down on his own head by playing a game of obstructionism for no gain.
Chicago voters did not expect Johnson to walk on water, but our city deserves better than what is unfolding. Johnson earned his spurs in the field of public education. Running a city requires a different skill set and background. The difference is so crucial that, to use a definitive expression, he seems to be doing pushups in quicksand.
Can this end well?
— Ted Z. Manuel, Chicago
Mourning the city’s downfall
Regarding the editorial “Mayor is hitting new lows, one news conference at a time” (Oct. 9): Thank you for the outstanding analysis of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Monday news conference announcing the six new members of the Chicago Board of Education. I watched the entire circus, and the Tribune Editorial Board deftly describes in cogent words everything I witnessed on my screen.
I’m a lifelong Chicago resident who is mourning the downfall of my city under this mayor.
— Donna Korey, Chicago
Mayor owes some apologies
Regarding the editorial, great read. The mayor was completely out of control, and both reporters at the Monday news conference deserve an apology.
— Thomas James McDonagh, Chicago
Mayor’s temper tantrum
Our mayor’s most recent temper tantrum at a news conference, where he was asked by reporters about the wisdom and timing of his upcoming trip to see the Bears game in London, was something to behold. He loves to play the race card as his last line of defense.
Tuck this tantrum in between his mishandling of the fiasco with the school board and his recent cancellation of two months of police academy classes. I thought he exempted police and fire from his budgetary freeze.
— Mike Rice, Chicago
Mayor the one in the way
On Sunday, Tribune Opinion quoted Mayor Brandon Johnson: “I was elected to fight for the people of the city, and whoever is in the way, get out of it.”
That would be Johnson. We’ll be glad to take his resignation at any time. Sooner rather than later. We certainly didn’t want to see all the members of the Board of Education resign. And we don’t want Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to resign. And we certainly don’t want anyone affiliated with the Chicago Teachers Union to be elected to the Board of Education or appointed to the board by Johnson. And we don’t need another high-interest loan to bail out his union friends.
So, since he is obviously not fighting for the people of the city, we’ll be glad to take Johnson at his own words: “Get out of it.” Bye.
— E.L. Foertsch, Chicago
ShotSpotter replacement
Regarding the editorial “Two weeks and too many bodies on the streets. Please reinstate ShotSpotter, mayor” (Oct. 6): A single tool does not establish a comprehensive public safety solution. Multiple layers are needed to protect the public. At its essence, ShotSpotter is an incident reporting system, designed to alert police when a sensor detects an incident of interest, a gunshot. With ShotSpotter, the sensors are microphones mounted on poles and buildings. ShotSpotter monitors designated geographic areas 24/7, notifies police when gunshots are heard and certainly has a role in public safety.
Crowdsourced incident reporting is another technology designed to notify police immediately when a crime incident occurs. But the sensors are humans, not hardware equipment. The cost to deploy such a solution throughout an entire city is a small fraction of what hardware solutions that require equipment, installation and maintenance cost.
Crowdsourced incident reporting is an equitable solution that can be used anywhere in a city by anyone with a mobile phone. Crowdsourced reports immediately deliver a rich payload of actionable information to police. This information can include a description of what is going on and where it is happening, and it can include photos or video to provide enhanced situational awareness to a police dispatcher.
The See Say crowdsourced incident reporting system is a community-based, equitable and cost-effective solution that notifies police about crime incidents in real time. People submitting incident reports can do so quickly, anonymously and discreetly. Police may chat back to the person doing the reporting to ask for additional details or provide instructions. See Say is already deployed by Metra and in many other cities nationwide.
Human intelligence should be part of the public safety solution in every city.
— Ed English, Hingham, Massachusetts
What about calling 911?
There is an existing alternative to ShotSpotter that already exists. Just call 911 when you hear gunshots. Why don’t people call 911?
— Denis Kelly, Chicago
Wowed by NASCAR events
Regarding the article “Second NASCAR street race generated $128M” (Oct. 6): I’m a former Chicagoan who now lives in New Jersey. I’m not sure how the people living in Chicago feel about the NASCAR race, but from the perspective of someone on the outside looking in, I thought the race simply looked awesome. Seeing the powerful race cars zooming down streets that I myself have driven on was at times breathtaking. I saw last year’s race and this year’s race on TV and felt pride as my hometown hosted a world-class race on the international stage.
I agree with the people quoted in the article that these events bring unique benefits to the city that elevate its image and status internationally that cannot be obtained in any other way.
— James Yun, Marlton, New Jersey
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