Mayor Brandon Johnson Launches Next Phase Of The Protecting Chicago Budget Tour

CHICAGO - Tonight, Mayor Brandon Johnson will join members of the 40th Ward community for a town hall meeting focused on his Protecting Chicago Budget proposal. Tonight's event marks the start of the next phase of Mayor Johnson's Protecting Chicago Budget tour, during which the Mayor has brought the details of his budget proposal directly to Chicagoans for open discussions and feedback. The Mayor will discuss the community investments in the Protecting Chicago Budget while offering residents the opportunity to meet in their neighborhood to answer questions and address concerns about the proposal. The upcoming leg of the Protecting Chicago Budget tour will see Mayor Johnson appear at seven community-led events in seven wards during the week leading up to the November City Council meeting, with eight events scheduled in total.

"I am grateful for these opportunities to connect and speak directly with Chicagoans from every part of the City who will benefit from the investments in community safety and youth programs in our budget proposal," said Mayor Brandon Johnson. "Through these conversations we are ensuring our priorities reflect the ground-level needs and values of our residents. For too long, ordinary Chicagoans have been kept at arms-length while leaders have cut deals behind closed doors and balanced budgets on the backs of working people. This tour is another opportunity to bring Chicagoans into the budget process and to hear from them directly."

Protecting Chicago Budget tour events scheduled for the coming week include:

• November 5: 40th Ward - Amundsen High School, 5110 N Damen Ave
• November 6: 4th Ward - Sixth Grace Presbyterian Church, 600 E 35th St
• November 8: 1st Ward - Goethe Elementary School, 2236 N Rockwell St
• November 9: 44th Ward - Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted St
• November 10: 31st Ward - Northwest Center, 5233 W Diversey Ave
• November 12: 3rd Ward - Quinn Chapel AME, 2401 S Wabash St
• November 13: 8th Ward - S2 Grill, 8734 S Stony Island Ave
• November 18: 14th Ward - Curie Metro High School, 4959 S. Archer

These community engagements events present residents the unique opportunity to participate in direct dialogue with their local alderperson, Mayor Johnson, and members of his administration while gaining a better understanding of City government and the budget process.

To date, Mayor Johnson has taken the Protecting Chicago Budget tour to the 17th, 21st, 33rd, 28th, and 20th Wards. Between town hall meetings, community roundtable discussions, and door-to-door canvassing, the Mayor has met face-to-face with hundreds of Chicagoans to gain a better sense of the challenges facing their families and communities.

Photos from previous Protecting Chicago Budget tour events are available here.

The tour builds on the Budget Engagement Roundtables series led by the Mayor's Office of Community Engagement (MOCE) and the Office of Budget Management (OBM) held in June and July.

During the roundtables, Chicagoans shared their insight and personal experiences regarding which services matter most in their communities and their priorities for this year's budget. Four events were held across the city-three for the general public and one tailored specifically for youth, ages 13-24-each designed with input from community stakeholders.

To learn more, a report with the findings of the Engagement Roundtables is available here.

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