Chicago Mayor’s Campaign Plans Collide With $538 Million Deficit

Mayor Johnson set to release 2024 budget proposal on Wednesday
City’s costs from pensions to caring for migrants are climbing

Brandon Johnson, mayor of Chicago, speaks during on June 28.
Photographer: Taylor Glascock/Bloomberg

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By Shruti Singh

October 10, 2023 at 5:08 PM UTC

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is set to reveal his 2024 budget on Wednesday, which will be a delicate balancing act between his campaign promises and the city’s financial realities.

Rising crime, a half-a-billion dollar deficit, a $35 billion pension hole and soaring costs to care for the more than 18,000 migrants who have arrived in the Windy City since last August are all confronting the first-time mayor as he unveils his inaugural spending plan.