How Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas grew into rivals for mayor of Chicago
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There's a lot of information to sort through in this mayor's race. So we created a tool to help you figure out who among the nine mayoral candidates most closely reflects your personal views on important issues.
Simply answer “yes,” “no” or “no answer.” The results will show your match for all candidates — from most to least. The tool will only match your answers to the candidates’ corresponding “yes” or “no” answers. Some candidates gave only a written response; those are not factored into your match score. (To see how the candidates answered in full, check out “Chicago mayoral candidates answer 23 questions.”)
Below each question, click “Learn more” for background on the topic. You can’t save your place and come back later — but, you can skip to results at any time.
Edited by Angela Rozas O'Toole and Tony Arnold. Development by Jesse Howe. Illustration by Andjela Padejski. Photography by Ashlee Rezin.Would you want the mayor to reverse the policy that makes annual property tax increases automatic and tied to the rate of inflation?
In 2020, the Chicago City Council approved a plan to tie property tax increases to the rate of inflation, rather than take future votes on a tax hike, but the city can opt out in any given year. This plan ran into pushback this year when inflation spiked last year to as high as 9%. The city opted not to raise property taxes in 2023.
Would you want the mayor to set aside funds in the city's budget to continue guaranteed income programs?
In 2022, the city implemented a guaranteed income pilot program that awarded 5,000 families $500 per month. Those 5,000 families were chosen by lottery out of the 176,000 residents who applied. The pilot was funded with federal dollars, and some have advocated for permanent funding.
Would you want the mayor to commit to paying the city’s required pension payment obligation, even in the face of a fiscal downturn?
The pension funds for city workers have long been massively underfunded. Revenue from Chicago’s newly-approved casino is supposed to go toward paying the city’s pension obligations, but will not cover it all.
Would you want the mayor to broaden the city sales tax to include professional services to match the growing shift to a service-oriented economy?
Chicago residents and visitors pay taxes in more than two dozen ways, from restaurant bills to hotel stays to water bottles. But some professional services, such as dry cleaning, are not taxed. Here is the current list of what the city taxes.
Would you support increasing funding to address homelessness by raising the real estate transfer tax on properties valued at more than $1 million?
The city taxes the sale of properties valued more than $1 million at a rate of .75%. Advocates have been promoting an increase of that tax and dedicating the extra money to funding for services supporting affordable housing.
Would you want the mayor to keep the city’s INVEST South/West program?
This program is a hallmark of Mayor Lori Lighfoot’s administration and is designed to spur growth and development in parts of Chicago’s West and South sides. Some critics have said those investments were already in the works before Lightfoot took office.
Should the city of Chicago spend $2 billion or more to dome and renovate Soldier Field as a way to convince the Bears to stay in Chicago instead of moving to Arlington Heights?
The Bears’ potential move to the suburbs comes after years of feuding with their landlord, the Chicago Park District, over leases and needed structural improvements on their home turf.
Would you want the mayor to earmark annual funding to support Chicagoans or visitors seeking abortion and other reproductive health care?
The city set aside $500,000 in government funds last year to support people traveling to Illinois to receive an abortion. Some advocates would like to see a permanent funding source to support out-of-state patients and providers.
Chicago has more lead pipes than most major U.S. cities, but has been slow to replace them. Would you want the mayor to speed up lead pipe replacement in Chicago?
Lead exposure can cause brain and nervous system damage, particularly in children who drink the tainted water. Chicago has replaced just 280 of the 390,000 lead service lines as of December.
Would you want the mayor to reopen any of the city’s shuttered mental health clinics?
A decade ago, former Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed some of the city-run mental health clinics in 2012, arguing patients would receive better care through community partner clinics and save the city money.
Chicago has lowered the threshold for which speed camera tickets could automatically be issued — making it 6 mph over the limit. Would you want the mayor to nix that decision, only fining drivers going 10 mph and over?
Mayor Lori Lightfoot endorsed a plan to charge drivers $35 for driving 6 to 9 mph near schools or parks when caught by a speed camera. Drivers who go over 10 mph in those areas could face tickets of $100 if caught by a camera. There are 162 speed cameras in Chicago.
Should resources be reallocated from policing and invested in so-called “root” issues of violence such as housing, mental health, segregation and poverty?
Activists’ call to “defund the police” can look different around the country. Under Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the city’s Police Department’s budget grew to $1.94 billion in 2022 — a 17% increase since she took office.
Would you support setting up “safe consumption sites” where people use pre-obtained illegal drugs under the supervision of trained health workers?
Amid a rising number of opioid-related overdoses, the University of Illinois Chicago’s Community Outreach Intervention Projects started one such program on the city’s West Side.
An analysis by the University of Chicago found CPD deployment does not match up with where most shootings take place. Should the Chicago Police Department alter its patrol plan, deploying more officers during hours when violence is highest?
Chicago ended 2022 with 697 murders, down 13% from 2021, which had the most in a quarter century, according to CPD data. Last year was the seventh year in a row with 500 or more murders.
Do police have a place in schools?
In recent years, the number of police in Chicago schools has been drastically reduced as schools funded police alternatives such as metal detectors, security guards and mental health programs.
Chicago has endured an epidemic of police suicides. Should the practice of canceling days off be limited and a ceiling placed on extra hours that Chicago police can work to avoid burnout?
There’s been an intense political debate recently amid a rash of police officer suicides as cops have been critical of management canceling their scheduled days off. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
No matter who is elected mayor, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown is nearing the end of the typical duration of a superintendent's tenure in Chicago. Should Chicago's next superintendent be chosen from within the ranks of CPD?
Chicago has had both locals and out-of-state superintendents in recent years. Brown, who has been superintendent since April 2020, was formerly the police chief of Dallas, Texas. The previous interim superintendent, Charlie Beck, hails from Los Angeles. Before him, former superintendent Eddie Johnson was a lifelong Chicagoan.
A moratorium on school closings lifts in 2025. Do you support closing severely under-enrolled schools once the moratorium expires?
Enrollment at Chicago Public Schools has been declining for the past decade. Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel oversaw the mass closure of 50 schools due to underutilization.
Once CPS has an elected school board, do you think the school district should be completely financially independent of the city?
State legislators and Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law a long-debated plan to make Chicago’s school board elected, rather than appointed by the mayor. The board will be partially elected in 2025, with the 21-seat board becoming fully elected by 2027.
Do you believe Chicago Public Schools should remain a system of choice with selective enrollment, magnet and charter schools serving a significant share of students rather than neighborhood schools?
A year ago, CPS’ CEO proposed new standards for enrollment at the city’s highly-sought after selective enrollment schools.
Do you support limiting the control alderpersons have over zoning in their wards?
Chicago aldermen have long held control over zoning issues in their wards. Incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned in 2019 to limit that control, arguing it allowed too much unchecked power.
Do you support creating a more independent City Council by allowing it to choose its own committee chairs without mayoral interference, set its own committee agendas and allow the Council to have its own attorney, its own parliamentarian and City Council speaker and president?
Critics of Mayor Lori Lightfoot have called for giving the City Council more power over their legislative body, rather than the mayor. Ald. Anthony Beale, for example, has questioned why the mayor presides over City Council meetings when governors don’t preside over state legislatures.
Would you want the mayor to reestablish a standalone Department of Environment?
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel disbanded the city’s Department of Environment a decade ago as part of a restructuring effort. Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned in 2019 that she would create a stand-alone department, but instead established a 10-person Office of Climate and Environment Equity.
Dig deeper into the stories and issues animating this year's election — from the newsrooms at the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ.
Chicago Sun-Times How Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas grew into rivals for mayor of Chicago
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WBEZ How to vote in the Chicago area’s April 4 municipal election
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Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Sun-Times coverage of the 2023 municipal election
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WBEZ WBEZ news coverage of the mayor's race and more from the 2023 municipal elections
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