Afternoon Edition: How Brandon Johnson’s inner circle compares to past mayors’
When Mayor Brandon Johnson took office, he pledged to take care of all of Chicago, so the disconnect in representation among his top political appointees has attracted calls from the City Council’s Latino Caucus and the Asian American Caucus for him to do better.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file
Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
In today's newsletter, we're looking into the demographics of Mayor Brandon Johnson's inner circle — how they reflect the population of our city and compare to previous administrations' Cabinets.
Plus: We've got reporting on a Chicago cop facing dismissal, the start of Ramadan, a young indie rock band on the rise and five things to this weekend. ????
Thanks for spending a little bit of your afternoon with us.
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
How Brandon Johnson’s inner circle compares to past mayors’
Reporting by Lauren FitzPatrick and Justin Myers
The mayor's inner circle: Under Mayor Brandon Johnson, Black people hold more top salaried city jobs and top mayoral appointments than any other racial group, a Sun-Times analysis has found. Along with Johnson, Chicago’s fourth Black mayor, Black city leaders now include the police superintendent, fire commissioner, corporation counsel and budget director, plus heads of several city departments and the Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago Transit Authority, all key mayoral appointments.
Who is underrepresented? Among those in political posts in Johnson’s administration, jobs that pay the most or hold the greatest authority, people who identify as Latino remain underrepresented, the Sun-Times analysis found. That was the case even as Latino residents now comprise the second-largest racial or ethnic group in Chicago, after whites, with Black residents now in third place. Asian Americans no longer hold any of these top City Hall jobs, as they did under Johnson predecessors Lori Lightfoot, Rahm Emanuel and Richard M. Daley.
City's payroll: Diversity among the city’s overall workforce — not just the mayor’s inner circle of political appointees — has inched closer to what Chicago looks like demographically, vastly different from the heavily white city payroll in 2011, at the end of Daley’s 22 years in office. But the city payroll remains disproportionately white, according to the analysis using city data from late 2023.
Key context: No single racial or ethnic group dominates Chicago’s 2.6 million population, which census figures show as being 32.7% white, 29% Latino, 28.8% Black and 7% Asian American. Nine percent say they are members of two or more races.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Preparing for Ramadan: Ramadan will begin Sunday night, as Chicago organizations plan interfaith gatherings to foster community and cross-cultural understanding. "We've very intentionally tried to forge those connections where communities are otherwise often pitted against each other," said Inner-City Muslim Action Network's Alia Bilal.
- 2 cases of measles reported: City health officials confirmed two cases of measles this week, the first since 2019. The disease, which is rare due to high vaccination rates, has been reported in 16 states this year.
- Chicago cop faces dismissal: The Chicago Police Department is seeking to fire Sgt. Michael Vitellaro, who was shown in a viral video kneeling on the back of a 14-year-old boy.
- Another casino coming: The Wind Creek Casino and Hotel will make its debut by late summer, straddling south suburban East Hazel Crest and Homewood. How will it fit in an increasingly crowded market?
- Obama back in Chicago: While former President Barack Obama was in town Thursday, he received a first look at how a massive video exhibit at the Obama Presidential Center will work. When completed, the display will span the first four floors of the Jackson Park museum.
- Basketball state finals: The 2024 IHSA boys basketball state finals are underway, running through Saturday at State Farm Center in downstate Champaign. View a complete schedule and results for all three days here.
- Oscars primer: Ahead of the 2024 Academy Awards on Sunday, revisit Sun-Times film critic Richard Roeper's reviews of all eight best picture nominees — then decide for yourself who deserves the win.
WEEKEND PLANS ????
???????? 61st Street Farmers Market
Saturday, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
???? Experimental Station, 6100 S. Blackstone Ave.
The indoor iteration of this beloved market returns with local and regional goods like fresh produce, meat eggs, cheeses, prepared foods and more.
Admission: Free
????️ International Women’s Day Market
Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
????Artifact Events, 4325 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Back for a third year, this market will include pop-up shops and curated local women-owned businesses selling jewelry, beauty products, home foods, drinks and more.
Admission: Free
???? Uncorked Wine Festival
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.
????Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive
This event features more than 150 wines from around the world, in addition to seltzers and canned cocktails.
Admission: $65+
???? The Chi-Town Jazz Fest
Saturday 8 p.m.
????Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway Ave.
The opening night of a three-date, three-venue jazz fest kicks off in Uptown, with performances from the Greg Ward Ensemble, Kevin King Quartet and Jim Trompeter.
Admission: $25
☘️ St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
????Gallagher Way 3635 N. Clark St.
This family-friendly event will have live performances from Trinity Irish Dance, Shannon Rovers Pipe Band and more, in addition to Irish dancing lessons, face painting, drinks for adults and more.
Admission: Free
For a full list of things to do this weekend, head here.
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Chicago band Friko accelerates its ascent with dazzling debut album
Reporting by Selena Fragassi
The dust has barely settled on last year’s "best of" music lists, yet there’s already a good contender for the 2024 tallies — and the artists just so happen to be from Chicago.
Friko, the project of singer-guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger, along with bassist David Fuller, released its debut album, "Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here" on Feb. 16, leaving critics salivating over its cornucopia of auditory gifts.
A hearty mix of chamber folk, modern pop orchestras, moody post-punk, singer-songwriter confessionals and indie fuzz can be heard on songs like the heart-wrenching ballad "For Ella" and the more ebullient rock ode "Get Numb To It!"
The band was founded by students at Evanston Township High School, who solidified the act in an apartment in Humboldt Park where Kapetan and Minzenberger now live with their house cat Jonathan. When they're playing music, Kapetan and Minzenberger work, respectively, as an audio equipment warehouse specialist and financial planning services assistant.
The goal, says Kapetan, is to be able to focus on music full-time and quit the 9-to-5’s in the very near future.
Friko has booked gigs at SXSW, played Chicago’s Metro last month, while hinting that more is coming soon, and had an album release day that was spent with in-store appearances at Reckless and Shuga Records.
YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️
How important is it to you that the Chicago mayor's cabinet reflect the diversity of the city? Explain.
Email us (please include your first and last name). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!
Thanks for reading the Sun-Times Afternoon Edition.
Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.
Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers