Applications for those seeking to become Chicago’s next police superintendent opened Friday. And the chair of the City Council’s Rules committee has requested that aldermen submit their preferred committee assignments by Tuesday.

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson shakes hands with Mayor Lori Lightfoot at City Hall Thursday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line] 

Less than 48 hours after declaring victory in a close election, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson met with Mayor Lori Lightfoot on the Fifth Floor of City Hall Thursday.  

After meeting for about 90 minutes, Johnson told members of the press he was “deeply humbled” by Lightfoot’s “gracious reception.” 

A City Council race on the West Side still has no clear victor days after polls closed, and the apparent loser in a North Side race has refused to concede pending the complete counting of all mail-in ballots.

Chicago’s next mayor Brandon Johnson, a former middle school teacher and union organizer, will be the first in recent memory with children in the Chicago Public Schools and the last with mayoral control of the district. [Alex Wroblewski / Getty Images]

Brandon Johnson took an unconventional path to becoming Chicago’s next mayor.

A decade ago, Johnson, 47, was teaching middle school at Jenner Academy of the Arts, which served mostly low-income Black students from the Cabrini-Green public housing complex. In 2012, he became an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, and in 2018, he was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners. 

Now he will be the first mayor in recent memory with children in Chicago Public Schools and the last to have control of the school system before it transitions to an elected school board. 

Members of the City Council meet at City Hall. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

When the Chicago City Council is sworn in on May 15, at least 13 new aldermen will pledge to represent their wards for the next four years as the council as a whole shifts younger and more progressive. 

The swell of new faces brings with it an increase in the number of women, the first time two Asian American women have been elected to City Council, an increase in the number of LGBTQ aldermen, one new Democratic Socialist and a bump in the number of progressive-backed aldermen. 
 

County Commissioner Brandon Johnson speaks at a mayoral runoff rally March 30, 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Cook County Comm. Brandon Johnson (D-1) will vacate his seat on the county board of commissioners when he becomes Chicago’s next mayor in May.  

The process for selecting a replacement to serve on the board will come down to a panel of local Democratic Party officials but also tees up a special election for the soon-to-be-open seat in 2024.

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson smiles upon the crowd during his victory speech Tuesday evening. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Cook County Comm. Brandon Johnson (D-1) will be the city’s next mayor after defeating former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas in a contentious runoff election. Johnson will become the fourth Black mayor.

The City Council will look different after the new aldermen are sworn in May 15. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]  

All three incumbent aldermen appointed last year by Mayor Lori Lightfoot appeared victorious Tuesday night in their bids to keep the City Council seats, unofficial election results show.  

And while embattled incumbent Ald. Jim Gardiner (45) finished the night ahead of his challenger Megan Mathias, an attorney, by about 11 percentage points, incumbent Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29) was ahead of his challenger CB Johnson by only 63 votes with one precinct left to report. 

Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson greet commuters at different CTA stations Monday. [Erin Hegarty, Michael McDevitt/The Daily Line] 

With one day left to get out the vote in the mayoral election, both former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas and Cook County Comm. Brandon Johnson (D-1) made campaign stops across the city Monday as they made their final case to voters why they are the best to lead Chicago. 

Both Johnson and Vallas greeted commuters at different CTA stops. The safety and reliability of public transportation has been a major issue this campaign season.

An early voting location. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line] 

As mayoral and aldermanic candidates make a final push to ensure their supporters turn out to the polls for the April 4 election, early voter turnout is up in this year’s runoff election compared to the 2019 and 2015 runoff elections.  

The number of Chicagoans who have voted early in person and submitted Vote By Mail ballots is also overtaking the numbers seen in the Feb. 28 municipal election, data from the Chicago Board of Elections shows. 

The City Council meets to consider and adopt rule changes during a special meeting March 30, 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Chicagoans in 14 wards will decide their aldermen during Tuesday’s election. The results will affect the makeup of City Council for the next four years as some incumbent aldermen fight to hold onto their seats and newcomers seek to fill open seats. 

Here are the council races in a runoff:

Ald. Anthony Beale (9) speaks during Thursday’s special City Council meeting. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line] 

The City Council on Thursday adopted new rules and chair assignments for 28 council committees expected to be used for the next four years after new aldermen and a mayor are sworn in on May 15. 

Aldermen during a special council meeting approved the new rules (R2023-502) with a 34-10 vote and the committee chair assignments (R2023-503) with a 33-11 vote. 
 

 

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Cook County Comm. Brandon Johnson appear together at a rally on Thursday, days before the mayoral runoff election is decided. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Thousands of supporters of Cook County Comm. Brandon Johnson’s mayoral bid packed the Credit Union 1 Arena at UIC Thursday evening for a rally headlined by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders just five days before the April 4 runoff.

Surrogates painted his opponent, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, as an existential threat and Johnson as the candidate with better experience in education and a better vision for the city’s future. 

Polls in Chicago pictured on primary election day in June 2022. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Two independent groups are spending tens of thousands of dollars to back candidates for City Council in the upcoming runoffs. In some of the same races they’re on opposing sides. 

The Illinois REALTORS Fund, an independent expenditure committee representing the Illinois Association of REALTORS, has poured more than $278,000 into support for candidates in at least eight of the 14 City Council runoffs.  

The progressive Working Families for Chicago independent expenditure committee, meanwhile, has spent more than $132,000 since March 1 to prop up candidates as well. 

The Daily Line team was in attendance at the UIC Pavilion for the rally with Bernie Sanders and Brandon Johnson for Chicago's Mayor. Check out a few of the moments we captured at the event.