63 Comments

Isn't it standard for incoming office holders (governors, mayors, etc.) to choose their own top officials? Even when, the incumbents are thought to have done a good job since that is one of the factors that may influence a choice. Another skirmish in the war on the CTU pursued by so many of Chicago's bien pensants.

One issue of the PS contains an attack on Mayor Johnson for doing what he said he would do when campaigning for his office and another on Governor Pritzger for not doing what he said he would do when campiagning for office.

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Yes, weak and narrow-minded politicians usually bring in their own team even when the incumbents are outstanding in their roles. The ones you want leading our government make competence and track record the priorities.

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When people you don't like bring in their own team they are "weak and narrow minded" but, when those you do like do the same, they are charting a new path, being bold, etc. Got it.

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The amazing coincidence is that I “like” leaders who value competence and treat other public servants with respect.

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Fair enough, but I do not see a new path in this case. Should we be excited about Fikirte Wagaw? Has Johnson said anything specific about what he is looking for in a Health Commissioner than different from what we had with Arwady?

It is also fair to point out that he said he would fire her. Given how popular, and how public she is, I would expect hear the mayor make positive statements about her replacement. Imagine if he had appointed his new police superintendent without much comment.

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Mayor Johnson NEVER met with Arwady in the 3 months he's been in office, despite promising to do so. He didn't fire her himself but sent an assistant to deliver the message after 5pm on a Friday. He didn't give her any time for her to meet with her staff. He may have wanted to replace her BUT he did not meet the minimum standards of decency in the process.

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Of course pols can choose their own top officials. But why did he want to get rid of Arwardy? And how did he do it? (Having an underling fire her at 5pm on a Friday is hardly classy.) And is the person replacing her even remotely as qualified? To me, the issue isn't THAT BJ fired her, it's HOW/WHY he fired her.

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One of the things that we hope our elected officials will do is to surround themselves with competent professionals especially in areas where education and experience should be the deciding factor. I also understand their wanting to bring in their own people. I believe the mayor made a mistake in this firing, a mistake that could have a negative effect on the citizens he professes to serve. He never sat down with the doctor and have a conversation and chose a cowards way of dismissing her. It appears to be nothing but payback and his responses to the question of why he did it are disingenuous and flippant. He owes the city a much more complete explanation of the decision.

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Regarding the reader who referenced tweeting on X, would an “Xcretion” be a better term?

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A Musky Xcretion. Yuk!

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😂🤮

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Eric. I know you “lightly edit” comments. But I think you didn’t make mine fully reflect what I was saying. It was actually resigning when she had just stated her job that shook me as someone who had started work at the same time she had. Going public was of course part of it. But giving up a job at a time it was actually hard to get one in my field was what I considered heroic.

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Mayor Johnson's manner of dismissing Dr. Arwady was the petty, mean-spirited act of a sore loser: the opposite of the aspirational tone he conveyed during his campaign. (Yes, loser. He stands as firmly as his word-salad discourse allows in support of CTU's position about what was best for students during the pandemic. Eduxators are supposed to continue to learn so that they can help students to do the same. Instead, he has doubled down on CTU's position, now thoroughly discredited by data about what prolonged absence from live classrooms actually did to students.) Did he have the right to replace her? Yes, of course. Did he need to attempt to humiliate her by refusing to meet with her, even if only to verify face to face the decision he'd announced during his campaign? No. Whom did he actually humiliate? Only himself.

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I'll emulate an educator, learn new things, and proclaim that "eduxator" isn't how to spell that word. My bad.

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The x is next to the c. Clearly a typing, not a spelling, error.

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True, my the typo was an inadvertent error. But showing how easily a person can acknowledge a mistake and correct it was deliberate.

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I could totally relate to the science fair visual tweet. It took me back. LOL.

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Chickenshit indeed! Dr. Arwady deserves an award for her actions and attitude, not the rude and petty "house cleaning" that Johnson gave her. The more I learn about him, the more I feel sorry for the people of Chicago.

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I think being professional means doing the right thing even when you know it could get you fired. What I wonder is who will be the next Health Commissioner. Will they get someone highly qualified and has many options of where to work?

If they don't get someone good, then I hope they get someone funny. Like when Trump made Rick Perry Energy Secretary after in the primary campaign Perry had said Energy was one of the departments that he wanted to abolish (there there were three departments, but i could only remember two at one of the debates). We did not have good governance but at least there was comedy.

If city hall is going to be a clown show, then at least make it a good clown show.

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Shame on him. So far I am no impressed. When 400 kids show up and doesn’t take it seriously and now not even to have the decency to face the lady who kept us her heart and soul for almost three years . Shame shame shame on him . She deserves to know we all appreciate what she did for us 😢🥰

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He thinks 400 kids together is just s fun time . Poor Chicago police with his attitude

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I understand Johnson wanting to put his own person in place of Dr. Arwady. I don't understand why he never spoke to her directly and didn't allow her to even email her staff to say goodbye and thank them for their hard work during her tenure. Johnson is letting his CTU affiliation control his behaviour as mayor. That does not bode well for the future. A healthy antagonism between union and management is expected and results in better bargains for all in most cases. Chicago no longer has that as union and management have merged.

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So, Eric, still content that you didn’t cast a vote for mayor? IMHO not one of your finest moments.

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I see this as an "own goal" by Mayor Johnson. Sure, he can surround himself with whoever he wants. But the way this situation was handled reflects poorly on the mayor. You would think he was getting advice from Northwestern University.

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Here's my beef:

I knew the Joe Shlabotnik reference. Why?

Because back in the day, Peanuts was one of the few comic strips everyone read.

Just like everyone watched "Make Room for Daddy." Why?

Because it was the only thing on.

Charles Schultz died almost a quarter of a century ago, yet his comics still run. Again I ask why.

Does the Tribune regularly run columns by Phil Vettel, Blair Kamin, Jerome Holtzman, or Greg Kot?

No.

There are plenty of excellent young comic strip writers out there that can't get published because newspapers continue to print stale, old comics like Blondie, Beetle Baily, Dick Tracy, and, yes, Peanuts, whose original writers have long since died.

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With the exception of Dick Tracy, I kinda disagree. Peanuts has stood the test of time amazingly well, and Blondie has reinvented itself. I am bewildered by some of the new strips (e.g., WuMo) taking up space in the Trib that are not funny or amusing or thought-provoking, or even decently drawn. Make mine Agnes.

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And let's get "Non Sequitor" back out of the Tribune's cartoon purgatory.

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There are plenty of dumb blonde jokes, "But I don't care, 'cause I'm a blonde," as Downtown Julie Brown sings in 'Earth Girls Are Easy.'. The jokes may be annoying, but they're not racial/ethnic slurs with much power. Now, if you use the C-word, so popular in Britain, that's a different story.

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Not to mention Australia. I’m watching a new cop series on Amazon set in Tasmania, where it seems to be the regular unisex alternate to “guys.”

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Was it Deadloch? Great show, but yeah, that word rakes some getting used to.

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Yes. I guess it's supposed to be (at least in part) a comedy, but for after the kids are in bed. (And mine are turning 40).

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Uh oh. What if we get a new "you guys" poll based on this information? I don't know if we can take it. ;>

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It wasn’t Downtown Julie Brown, but rather, the “ other” Julie Brown that was in “ Earth Girls Are Easy”.

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Wubba Wubba Whoops

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Dang! You're right. I'm just glad someone else saw this movie!

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Didn’t know, and I’m a long time Peanuts’ fan. Joe

PS: agree- Mayor doesn’t exactly demonstrate a profile in courage.

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In a possible sign of journalistic progress, the Georgia Trump indictment only made it to the lower right corner of today’s Trib’s front page

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I had a brief email correspondence with Dr. Arwady when she was accused of “bribing people to get vaccinated.” I quoted my late brother Steve to her, who observed that bribes are what you’re offered for doing something you shouldn’t do; rewards are what you’re offered for doing something you should do. I got a very prompt, gracious thank you.

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