and the administration is open to dialogue with businesses. Jason Lee, a senior adviser, noted that Chicago has a diversified economy and “we are lucky we don’t depend on a single industry.”
Any firm mulling a move would likely get a friendly reception from economic development officials in Texas, Florida or other Sun Belt states that have seen a wave of relocations since the start of the pandemic. New York and California have each lost companies that managed close to $1 trillion of assets.
Months later, Johnson, a progressive Democrat, surprised pundits by beating incumbent Lori Lightfoot in the mayor’s race. Crime was a top issue — with incidents reported to the police up 54% since 2019 — and he ran on a pledge to invest $1 billion to make a “safer and stronger city.”But in the midst of the campaign, Johnson promised not to raise property taxes, a pledge he stuck to in his 2024 budget proposal released Sept. 13. That’s left him very limited options for coming up with the money.