Eight days after clinching spots in the Chicago mayoral runoff, Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson met for a wide-ranging and occasionally contentious forum on Wednesday night.
The candidates, tasked with courting nearly 50% of voters who did not cast ballots for them in the Feb. 28 election, focused primarily on issues of public safety, education and economics in the one-hour forum, moderated by NBC 5 Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern.
Vallas, Johnson Discuss Public Safety Issues in Mayoral Forum
One of the most-commonly used attacks on Vallas during the campaign is that he has the backing of Republicans and conservatives, and during the forum, Ahern asked Vallas about an interview he did with Jeff Berkowitz in 2009, the subject of attack ads in the campaign.
“I’m more of a Republican than a Democrat now,” Vallas said in the interview. “Yes, if I ran for public office, then I would be running as a Republican.”
Vallas argued at the time that he had been posed a hypothetical, and pointed out that he has run as a Democrat for statewide office before, including in a failed bid to become Illinois’ lieutenant governor in 2014 with former Gov. Pat Quinn.
“I’m a lifelong Democrat,” he said. “I actually ran for office as a Democrat in the Democratic primary against Rod Blagojevich, and as Pat Quinn’s running mate (in 2014). I have always registered in the Democratic primary. My history has always been that of a Democrat.”
Johnson also faced tough questions on 2020 comments, in which he called defunding police a “political goal.”
He addressed those concerns by touting a plan to promote 200 detectives while pushing for other agencies to respond to mental health crises, allowing police to focus on violent crime.
He insisted that he would be a “collaborator,” and that he would bring all parties to the table.
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In the public safety sphere, Vallas, who has run heavily on public safety issues in the campaign, said that his focus would be on improving morale and ending staffing shortages, trying to bring retired officers and officers who have moved to other communities back into the fold.
“By promoting leadership from within who have the support and the respect of the command, of the rank-and-file,” he said. “Secondly, by putting police on a humane work schedule. Third, by not punishing police when they are being responsive. Fourth, by returning to beat-integrity, so that police aren’t being moved all over the city. Finally, by providing the type of mental health intervention, services that officers need.”
Both candidates faced tough questions about endorsements they’ve received during the election season, with Johnson’s backing by the Chicago Teachers Union coming under scrutiny.
He says that he would resign his membership in the union, and that he would seek to govern in a way that’s representative of all Chicagoans.
“I’m gonna be the mayor of Chicago for everyone. I’m happy to be supported by working people in Chicago, childcare workers, security guards, those who keep our buildings clean,” he said. “Once I’m mayor of Chicago, I will no longer be a member of the Chicago teachers Union. I will no longer pay dues.”
He says that while he is respectful of the views of both the union and the city’s educational system, he says he will have to do what’s best for the city.
“There will be disagreements along the way, but the point is that we can build a better, stronger, safer Chicago by working collectively together, so I will the mayor of the city of Chicago,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vallas was asked about the backing of the Chicago chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, and his connections to billionaire Ken Griffin, who famously left Illinois after Republican gubernatorial candidate and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin was defeated in the 2022 primary season.
“I did not take money from them,” he said of the FOP. “When I was asked to step into their negotiations (with the city), I did so with two conditions. One, they had to accept all the accountability provisions that had been approved in the contract, and that the activists were clamoring for, and secondly, that I received no pay or compensation.”
When pressed on accepting contributions from Griffin and others, he argued that he would not be swayed, and would focus on his priorities.
“What do they expect in return? Someone who can manage the city, someone who’s going to address the critical issues of public safety,” he said.
The candidates were also asked about the Bears, with both saying that they would not be in favor of additional taxpayer-subsidies to keep the team in Chicago.
Both candidates also called for additional work programs to deter young Chicagoans from falling into criminal activity, and said they would reprioritize the way Chicago Public Schools receive funding.
An initial poll has indicated that Vallas holds a 10-point lead over Johnson, with nearly one-quarter of voters undecided.
The mayoral runoff will take place on April 4.
