The heat on Mayor Brandon Johnson is more heat than any heat on any Chicago mayor in the past nearly 80 years. Two Mayor Daleys, one Mayor Bilandic, one Mayor Byrne, one Sawyer, one Emanuel, one Lightfoot. Those mayors were, as Mayor Johnson now is, off and on, in some kind of trouble. For some number of months. But not one of those past mayors was repeatedly blistered like Johnson’s being blistered by the Chicago Tribune and the Sun-Times. Both those newspapers seem to be saying they have had enough of Mayor Johnson being too slow to solve Chicago’s migrant or crime or gun problems. They clearly are saying Mayor Johnson doesn’t know what he’s doing, especially doesn’t know Chicago media. Brandon Johnson is a rookie mayor searching for ways to deal with Chicago style roughneck reporting. The Tribune and Sun-Times are powerfully influential newspapers telling Mayor Johnson to find himself some politically savvy Chicago advisors who understand Chicago government versus Chicago journalism. Advisors who are especially necessary now during an approaching Democratic Party convention that can erupt into another 1968 kind of convention firestorm. May I suggest, Mr. Mayor, that you ask a few of your most knowledgeable Chicago personal friends to help you make a list of politically savvy advisors. Then find a way to hire them. And take their advice.

Walter Jacobson gives his Perspective: