CHICAGO — Fourteen Chicago aldermen have told Mayor Brandon Johnson that they “cannot and will not” vote for his 2025 budget if it does not include a renewal of the city’s ShotSpotter gunfire detection system. Of the seven demands listed in the group’s letter, four involve policing.
Johnson introduces his budget, which had a $982 million shortfall, today. Through what is sure to be tense negotiations, he will need 26 of the 50 aldermen to sign off on the plan. He’s starting off 14 in the hole before his plan is even introduced.
In a letter to Johnson dated yesterday, the group claimed that “when it comes to the city budget, 51% of residents trust aldermen more than the mayor (10%).” Claiming “this is what Chicago wants,” the letter launches into a list of eight demands and the group’s reasoning for each.
Topping the list: Reject a property tax increase. Media reports have indicated that Johnson, who made a campaign promise not to increase property taxes, will have to break that promise to balance his budget. The aldermen called a tax hike a “non-starter.”
That was followed by a demand that the city reconnect its ShotSpotter gunfire detection network. Johnson permitted the city’s contract with the company to expire in September, despite the desire of two-thirds of the City Council and, according to a survey, 70% of city residents who supported it.
The letter points out that CPD Supt. Larry Snelling, selected by Johnson to lead the police department, supports the technology.
“We urge you to reinstate ShotSpotter as we look for alternative technologies,” the group wrote.
Their third demand was also police-related: Create a new police district on the Southwest Side and a satellite office for the existing 12th District to “better handle rising crime in the area.”
State officials have already agreed to provide a building to serve as headquarters for a new district for $1, the letter said. A new district would provide relief for the Chicago Lawn (8th) District, which the aldermen said is the “busiest and largest by population, ranking first for all crimes committed across the city.”
They also want Johnson to keep CPD’s budget “intact,” arguing that now is not the time to cut back on hiring new officers. Just the opposite.”
The group’s other demands are:
- Reject call(s) to dismantle tax increment financing (TIF) districts
- Redirect funds slated for migrant services to fill the budget hole
- Finalize the city’s firefighter contract
Signing off on the letter were Aldermen Brian Hopkins, Anthony Beale, Peter Chico, Marty Quinn, Raymond Lopez, Derrick Curtis, Silvana Tabares, Monique Scott, Felix Cardona, Scott Waguespack, Gil Villegas, Anthony Napolitano, Brendan Reilly, and Jim Gardiner.
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