Effort underway to recall Chicago Mayor Johnson, amid migrant crisis, persistent violent crime

A Chicago resident is trying to get an initiative on this fall's ballot to recall Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson after less than a year in office.

The effort is being led by resident Dan Boland, who says he want more accountability and transparency from the mayor.

"You have to make the mayor accountable," Boland recently told a local NBC-TV affiliate. "The mayor is accountable to all voters of Chicago, not just brown Chicago or black Chicago or white Chicago."

Johnson has already attempted to discredit the effort by saying Boland is "just some dude from the suburbs" who's upset about the diversity of his administration. 

"Apparently the extreme right wing in this country, they are not very pleased with the fact that 60% of my administration are women, 43% of those who make up my administration are black," the mayor said.

The TV station reports Boland, in fact, lives in the city's Lakeview neighborhood. 

Boland says he has lived in Chicago for 33 years and has six nieces and nephews who are bi-racial. 

Boland effort – which he is calling "Recall This Fall" – will require over 56,000 petition signatures just to get the measure on the ballot.

If he gets enough signatures, the effort would still require another round of petitions and a vote through a special election.

Johnson was elected in 2023, ousting Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot after just one term, during which voters criticized her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, racial justice protests, a protracted teachers' strike and a spike in crime.

Violent crime continues to be a problem in Chicago, the country's third-largest city.

There were at least 27,700 violent crimes reported in the city last year, levels not seen since 2011, according to a CBS Chicago analysis of police data.

Meanwhile, the city also is struggling to address the influx of illegal migrants. 

On Friday, the City Council agree to a request by Johnson – a progressive who support's Chicago's sanctuary city status – for $70 million from reserve funds to pay for the Chicago's migrant crisis.

Some residents complained about the additional spending, amid the city reportedly having already spend $300 million on the sheltes and other related costs.