Mayor Brandon Johnson touts improved economy, drop in crime in Chicago, but won't say whether he's running again

Speaking live on CBS News Chicago's morning news on Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson touted an improving economy and falling crime in the city and credited his administration with the success.

However, the mayor still declined to say whether he plans to run for another term next year.

Mayor Johnson said this comes after more people visited Chicago last year than any other time in the city's history, with 57 million in all. He also noted that hotel occupancy has hit 89%, "so essentially, our rooms are essentially filled."

"It has a lot to do with just all of the activity that's happening in Chicago — what's happening at the Magnificent Mile, where the vacancy rate has fallen below what it was at the highest point after the pandemic," Mayor Johnson said. "And so the confidence that people are, developers and visitors have in the city of Chicago is a direct result to the critical investments that we're making, all of the activity that's going on."

But while tourism is improving, Chicago still faces some economic challenges. Vacant storefronts are easy to find downtown and throughout city neighborhoods.

However, Mayor Johnson noted that the storefront vacancy rate has fallen from its heights during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more businesses are coming to Chicago. He pointed to Harry Potter Shop on the Magnificent Mile, the Hello Kitty Café in the LondonHouse building on Michigan Avenue just south of the Chicago River, and the Hand & Eye Magic Show, which opened this past spring in the McCormick Mansion on Ontario Street — the former site of Lawry's The Prime Rib.

The mayor also noted that Chicago has been the top destination for corporate relocation for 13 years in a row, and has been voted the Best Big City in the U.S. for nine years running. He said a decrease in crime is directly connected to the city's success stories.

"So as we continue to do business in Chicago, as more visitors continue to come to Chicago, that builds confidence for these corporations to continue to relocate. If you even look at the Loop, 1.7 million people visited the Loop in the first quarter. That's another increase of $485 million in economic impact," Mayor Johnson said. "The investments there have reached almost $1 billion this year alone. And so the confidence in our city is certainly growing as we build safe and affordable communities."

Chicago's economic success stories are directly linked to a decrease in crime, the mayor said.

Chicago police statistics show that from June 1 through July 19, the city has seen 67 homicides, 294 shootings, 742 robberies, 65 carjackings, and 1,199 aggravated assaults — all down from last year.

"One of the things that I know that I have had to do, and I've paid a lot of attention around this issue, is bringing violence down. The confidence in our economy is growing because we're experiencing historic lows," the mayor said. "We had the fewest amount of homicides in 60 years last year, just between June 1 and July 20. From this time last year, we were down 15%."

Still, while crime is falling, half of summer remains ahead, with safety a paramount concern as major events such as Lollapalooza are coming up. Meanwhile, Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling, who was widely respected for his leadership and public safety strategies, recently retired.

Mayor Johnson was asked how his administration would prepare to keep Chicago safe for the rest of the year, particularly concerns about large teen gatherings. The mayor said in recent weeks, such teen trends have dissipated, which he said was a "direct result to creating more opportunities for young people.

"Last year, we hired more young people ever in the history of Chicago. This year, we're going to break that record again. We are creating more spaces for young people. We partnered with the YMCA of Chicago — over 2,000 young people took me up on the offer. They have free memberships. WNBA All-Star Weekend — 500 tickets for young people. We've invested more in our parks," Mayor Johnson said. "So there's a direct correlation between creating more opportunity and activity for our young people and crime going down."

The mayor said the neighborhoods that have had the most young people hired for summer jobs have also seen the greatest decline in violence.

"And so as we hold people accountable, which we most certainly have to do that, we also have to create opportunity, and as a result, the investments that we're making, more people are visiting our city," Mayor Johnson said. "No administration in modern history can say that they oversaw the city at a time in which our economy was growing and violence was going down."

In June, the Chicago City Council voted down a proposal by Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) to hold parents responsible for teen takeovers and youth violence. The Parental Accountability Ordinance, which Lopez first introduced in 2023, would have imposed fines on parents accused of allowing their children to commit crimes such as curfew violations, illegal drag racing, jumping on vehicles, or drug or alcohol use.

Mayor Johnson has said repeatedly that he does not support such a proposal. He has said there needs to be a focus on creating safer spaces and giving young people opportunities, and on Wednesday, he said the availability of those opportunities to credit for large teen gatherings not having happened lately.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that as we create more opportunities for young people, more safe spaces for young people, you're seeing less and less of those type of gatherings are taking place," the mayor said. "And so more opportunity we provide for our young people, the more we challenge adults and corporate partners to get engaged, to create safe spaces for our young people, we're going to see thriving communities — and the results are speaking for themselves, right?"

Meanwhile, Mayor Johnson has not said whether he plans to run for another term in 2027, and that did not change Wednesday.

""First of all, I'm really excited about what we've accomplished as a city, right? And there will be time for that," Johnson said. "Keep in mind, I did not make an announcement until October of 2022. I'm just saying right now, I'm focused on building safe and affordable communities, and we're going to count on the city of Chicago to help us continue to build that."

A recent poll commissioned by the University of Chicago's Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation found that just 13.6% of Chicagoans want Johnson to run again, and 58% of Chicagoans say they're not excited by another Johnson campaign. Johnson's job approval rating dropped to 23%, down from 25% in December.

But the mayor said Wednesday that he is more interested in the numbers that display successes in Chicago.

"Again, here's the number that I'm most impressed with — there are more people visiting our city, and crime is going down," Mayor Johnson said. "I promised the people of Chicago that I was going to build the safest, most affordable big city in America. As our economy continues to grow and violence continues to go down, there's no mayor in modern history that has that track record than myself, of course."