Mayor, City of Chicago
Nearly three years into his term, Johnson’s relationship with the real estate industry remains a marriage of necessity strained by ideology and some execution failures. The industry notched a major victory in 2024 by defeating his “Bring Chicago Home” transfer tax referendum, but the administration’s subsequent attempts to win back developers have yielded mixed results.
Johnson’s signature “Cut the Tape” initiative, launched to slash project approval timelines, has been criticized by pros for moving too slowly.
But the industry has given his administration credit for ushering in the removal of parking requirements for new development near transit in much of the city in 2025. That reform, which allows developers to bypass costly garage mandates for projects close to rail and bus lines, was a rare moment where the administration’s equity goals aligned with industry balance sheets.
Whether Johnson’s efforts will help restart development in Chicago’s low-supply housing market remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, a protracted battle over the City Council’s Zoning Committee chairmanship left the body rudderless in late 2025, with interim chair Bennett Lawson vying for its permanent leadership and meetings paused.
Uncertainty also clouds the Chicago Housing Authority. After CEO Tracey Scott’s exit, the agency’s board chair Matthew Brewer was named operating chairman in September 2025 to stop the bleeding. But the search for a permanent boss hit a wall in early 2026 when top finalist Jillian Baldwin withdrew, after Johnson’s preferred pick, Walter Burnett Jr., faced federal eligibility questions, leaving the agency in limbo.
— Sam Lounsberry
