Dupage Policy Journal

Jeanne Ives, a former state legislator and founder of Breakthrough Ideas, said the process by which Illinois' budget is determined is controlled by Democratic leadership behind closed doors and revealed only hours before the deadline. She said that neither Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias nor Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has any influence over the process.

"Alexi knows there are no budget discussions," said M Ives. "The Dem power elites decide who gets what and they roll it out a couple hours before the deadline. Neither Alexi nor Brandon Johnson, obviously, have any influence in this matter."

Ives' comments were in response to a post by Giannoulias on X (formerly Twitter), where he questioned Johnson's strategy and timing regarding his involvement in budget talks. "Serious question: why wait until the end of April to come to Springfield? Budget talks have been taking place for months. Is there some strategy that I’m missing?" he wrote.

Screenshot of Jeanne Ives' April 23 post on X | X

Giannoulias was referring to an April 22 Chicago Tribune story previewing Johnson’s upcoming trip to Springfield, where he intended to lobby lawmakers for additional funding for Chicago. The report indicated that Johnson planned meetings with Governor J.B. Pritzker, House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, and Senate President Don Harmon. Johnson said that his agenda remains unchanged, focusing on increased funding for Chicago Public Schools and public transit, investment in the shelter system for migrants and people experiencing homelessness, and preserving or expanding revenue from prepaid cellphone and personal property replacement taxes. He also visited the legislature earlier in 2024.

Governor J.B. Pritzker, as reported by Capitol Fax, expressed openness to discussions with Johnson but noted potential disagreements on certain points. Pritzker remarked that the mayor’s requests came late in the budgeting process. "It’s April, and we put our budget together in, actually, the latter half of the prior year, and then present it in February," Pritzker said. "So it’ll be hard for us to talk about things in the current budget." He added that some items might still be rearranged to benefit Chicago.

Ives served six years representing House District 42 and ran for governor in 2018 as well as Congress in Illinois’ 6th District in 2020.