Brandon Johnson (politician)

Brandon Johnson is a Democratic member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, representing the 1st district. Johnson defeated incumbent Commissioner Richard Boykin in the Democratic Party primary election for the district in March 2018, and won the general election unopposed on November 6, 2018.[1]

Brandon Johnson
Member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
from the 1st district
Assumed office
December 3, 2018
Preceded byRichard Boykin
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
EducationAurora University (B.A., M.A.)

Early life and career

Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in Human Services, Youth Development Programming, and Management and a master's degree in Teaching from Aurora University. He was a social studies teacher at Jenner Academy Elementary and George Westinghouse College Prep, both part of the Chicago Public Schools system.[2] He became an organizer with the Chicago Teachers Union in 2011, and helped organize the 2012 Chicago teachers strike.[3] He also helped lead field campaigns during the 2015 Chicago mayoral and aldermanic elections.[2][3]

Johnson ran against incumbent Richard Boykin in the 2018 election for the Cook County Board of Commissioner's 1st district. He was endorsed by a number of labor organizations and progressive advocacy groups, including the Chicago Teachers Union, Grassroots Illinois Action, Our Revolution, and SEIU Locals 1 and 73.[4] He won the Democratic Party primary election on March 20, 2018, defeating Boykin by 0.8 percentage points (437 votes), and ran unopposed in the general election on November 6, 2018.[1]

Cook County Commissioner (2019–present)

Johnson was sworn in as Cook County Commissioner on December 3, 2018.[5]

He was the chief sponsor of the Just Housing Ordinance, which amended the county's housing ordinance by prohibiting potential landlords or property owners from asking about or considering prospective tenants' or homebuyers' criminal history.[6] The ordinance was passed in April 2019.[7][8]

In October 2019, Johnson spoke at a solidarity rally supporting striking teachers and support staff during the 2019 Chicago Public Schools Strike, and wrote supportive letters to editor in the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.[9][10][11] Johnson works as a paid organizer for CTU, focusing on legislative affairs.[6] Politico's Illinois Playbook reported after the strike that Johnson was rumored as a potential mayoral candidate in the 2023 election; Johnson responded by calling the rumors "laughable" and criticizing the publication for making a connection between the strike and his electoral career.[6] In November 2019, Johnson wrote an essay in a CTU publication drawing a distinction between the union's organizing model and "top-down school governance."[12][13]

Personal life

Johnson lives in the Austin neighborhood on the west side of Chicago.[2]

References
  1. "Brandon Johnson (Illinois)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  2. "About Brandon Johnson". Brandon Johnson for Cook County Commissioner. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  3. Kapos, Shia; Hurst, Adrienne. "IS CTU ALREADY EYEING 2023? — JOHNSON 'toying with' retirement — DEMS WANT ARROYO, BURKE OUT". POLITICO. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  4. "Endorsements". Brandon Johnson for Cook County Commissioner. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  5. AustinTalks. "Commissioner Brandon Johnson sworn in Monday". AustinTalks. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  6. Kapos, Shia; Hurst, Adrienne (2019-11-05). "IS CTU ALREADY EYEING 2023? — JOHNSON 'toying with' retirement — DEMS WANT ARROYO, BURKE OUT". POLITICO. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  7. Hinton, Rachel (2019-04-25). "County Board limits landlords' inquiries into tenants' criminal histories". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  8. Hinton, Rachel (2019-10-23). "County hearing on housing heats up over criminal history questions in tenant applications". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  9. Wittich, Jake (2019-10-27). "As CTU contract talks stall, Lightfoot says union won't 'take yes for an answer'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  10. Editor, Letters to the (2019-10-18). "Chicago teachers demand an overdue social transformation". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2019-11-17.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  11. Johnson, Brandon (2019-10-21). "Letters: Teachers have become first responders". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  12. Johnson, Brandon (2019-11-13). "Organizing to build a more perfect union". Chicago Teachers Union. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  13. Leone, Hannah (2019-11-16). "Chicago Teachers Union ratifies new contract, avoiding another walkout after 11-day strike". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
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