Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is trying to project calm after his budget director resigned Monday, making her the second top finance official to leave City Hall in less than a week. The shake-up comes as the administration prepares for another difficult budget season.
At a Tuesday news conference, Johnson said Annette Guzman left to care for her aging mother and described the decision as personal, according to ABC7 Chicago. He said he was praying for Guzman and her family. Guzman brought a decade of Chicago government experience to the job after holding senior financial roles in Cook County.
The timing is awkward for an administration already facing questions about its finances. On July 16, WBBM Newsradio reported that the city was tracking a nearly $90 million shortfall and that failing to close the gap could put as many as 2,000 jobs at risk. That warning followed a midyear budget update that intensified criticism from alderpersons who have challenged Johnson’s financial strategy.
Chicago’s Finance Team Is In Transition
The departures also follow an unresolved fight over Chicago’s pension payments and cash flow. The Chicago Sun-Times reported last month that officials were still evaluating when and how much of the remaining $130 million pension advance the city could afford to pay. The administration has blamed delayed Cook County property-tax payments for complicating its finances.
Johnson pushed back against the idea that the departures signal a government losing control, saying Chicago would remain stable under his leadership and pointing to lower violence, more affordable housing and a revitalized downtown. ABC7 political analyst Laura Washington offered a harsher assessment, saying the changes create both instability and the perception of instability. Guzman’s deputy, Jonathan Ernst, will serve as acting budget director while Johnson’s office works toward its promised balanced budget by October, ABC7 Chicago reported.
