Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, Gov. JB Pritzker meet in Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) – Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson had another high-profile meeting on Friday, getting some face time with Gov. JB Pritzker just one day after a sit down with Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot was at the governor's office in the West Loop where Friday's meeting took place.
They met for more than an hour on the 16th floor of the building on Monroe, talking about everything from growing the state and local economy, to job creation and helping small businesses.
There was a quick handshake, saying hello and a wave to the cameras. Then, Johnson met with Pritzker inside his downtown office.
"It's great to be here with the mayor-elect," Pritzker said. "We had a terrific meeting."
The two discussed investing in Chicago neighborhoods.
"It's been short for too long," Johnson said. "So, I'm very impressed by the governor's compassion and love and it's great to have a real partner to not only rebuild our city but to make sure that individuals who wish to be small business owners and larger corporations can actually have a city that works and an entire body of government at every single level that will work together."
They also talked about balancing the city and state budgets, and the economy.
"We share that challenge in common at all times," Pritzker said, adding, "What we all want is a thriving financial services economy, in the state and the city, and it's been that way and I have not stood for a transaction tax because I think that it would be easy for those companies and servers to move out of the state."
"The budget plan that I have proposed deals with the structural challenges that the city of Chicago has been facing," Johnson said.
Johnson also said the reliance on property taxes has left a lot of families in what he called economic turmoil and despair. He said he's ready to work with the General Assembly and the governor's office to make sure critical neighborhood investments take place.
