Three top city officials stepping down after Mayor Brandon Johnson's ominous firings message: ‘If you ain't with us, you just gotta go.'

Chicago Tribune

13-02-2025

Three members of Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration announced their exits Thursday, days after the mayor delivered a warning about purging city officials who lacked loyalty to him.
Departing his cabinet are Jamie Rhee, Commissioner of the Department of Aviation; and Jose Tirado, director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
Separately, Joe Calvello, the mayor's chief strategy officer, stepped down this week less than a year after being hired to shore up his administration's then-struggling communications effort and build out the freshman mayor's long-term vision.
And Andrea Kersten, head of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, also announced her resignation on the heels of an apparent bid by the Chicago police's civilian oversight committee to oust her.
The high-profile exits came the same week Johnson warned of a potential incoming firing spree apparently focused on holdovers from past mayoral administrations, though Calvello's and Kersten's resignations did not appear to be part of any purge given that the former was tapped after Johnson took office, and the latter's position isn't under the mayor's control.
At a Monday night 'Faith in Government Tour' panel at New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church — which was not included in the mayor's public schedule — Johnson responded to a question by Pastor Stephen J. Thurston II on what he would have done differently in his first two years in office with: 'I would have cleaned house faster.'
On Thursday, Rhee and Tirado's departures — which were rumored for weeks — dropped, though they were framed as 'retirement' and a 'transition,' respectively.
Johnson in his Monday remarks said he kept on some staffers who did not 'agree with (him) 100%' when he became mayor in an effort to show 'godly presentation' and his ability to work with others.
'If you ain't with us, you just gotta go. So now, I'm in a position now where I'll be making some decisions in the days to come, because playing nice with other people who ain't about us, it's just a waste of exercise,' Johnson said.
New mayors have the discretion to fire and hire most officials in their administration as they see fit, but Johnson has struggled with executing high-profile personnel decisions in his first two years as mayor. His team from the start mistrusted staffers they viewed as loyal to his predecessor, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and sought to drive out holdovers despite not always having a replacement plan ready.
Johnson's transition team fired the city's deputy mayor of intergovernmental affairs Beth Beatty before he took office in May 2023, only to swiftly rehire her. Later that August, the mayor fired public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady in a manner she told NBC 5 was 'really disturbing,' similar to the quick dismissal in March 2024 of Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Erin Harkey.
And the employment status of lame duck Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, whom Johnson opted to keep on until the teachers union contract dragged on too long, has triggered a monthslong political and legal saga that continues today.
COPA shakeup
Kersten, chief administrator of COPA, announced Thursday her resignation as head of the agency that investigates use of force incidents by Chicago Police Officers. The mayor does not have hiring or firing power over that appointment, the city's police civilian commission does.
'Over the last four years, it has been a privilege to lead this agency in the service of all Chicagoans and I am incredibly proud of the transformative work that has been accomplished during my tenure,' Kersten said in a statement. 'COPA has established itself as a truly independent and transparent voice in Chicago's broader community safety system, which is imperative in building trust in police accountability.'
Kersten was appointed to lead COPA in February 2022 after joining the agency the year before and has been a lightning rod for scrutiny for most of her tenure, despite the agency's noted increase in case closures.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling delivered a blistering assessment of the agency's investigative practices during the police board meeting in 2024, and the Fraternal Order of Police has remained a staunch critic, as well.
FOP President John Catanzara told the Tribune Thursday that the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability was set to recommend to the City Council that Kersten be fired.
'We had it on very reliable information they voted to make a recommendation for termination,' Catanzara said.
Anthony Driver, president of the CCPSA, declined to comment Thursday.
Johnson administration exits
In a move that appeared to be unrelated to Johnson's forewarned plan to oust holdovers, one of the mayor's handpicked top advisers announced he is leaving the city after less than a year on the team.
Calvello, the mayor's chief strategy officer, said Thursday he is leaving his Chicago role to work for Sports Solidarity, an organization advancing organized labor in professional sports. Johnson hired Calvello to the brand new strategy role last March in an apparent effort to shore up his administration's then-struggling communications effort and build out the freshman mayor's long-term vision.
Calvello, 32, was tapped after a stint as communications director for U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and before that worked on Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. He said in a statement he was 'especially proud' of his team's work around the Democratic National Convention.
'It has been an honor to go to City Hall every day and fight for Chicago's working class,' Calvello said.
Meanwhile, Johnson in a Thursday statement praised Rhee for leaving an 'indelible mark on our airports and our city.' He then thanked Tirado for helping to oversee reductions in crime and a 'successfully hosted' Democratic National Convention.
Rhee, a Rahm Emanuel appointee, oversaw O'Hare and Midway airports, key drivers of the city's economy. More recently, she has helped lead an effort to overhaul large parts of O'Hare that has at times pitted Johnson against the Illinois Congressional delegation. Rhee thanked her staff in a statement and said she is 'eternally grateful for the opportunities that have been afforded to me and am extremely proud of the work that's been accomplished.'
The seven-year veteran commissioner oversaw Chicago's airports as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, marking some of the most challenging moments in recent memory for air travel. As activity began to rebound from pandemic lows, the recovery at O'Hare, long a linchpin in the nation's air system, remained sluggish, as business travel was slow to return and one of the airport's major airlines began to shift focus elsewhere.
By November 2024, the most recent month of data available, the number of travelers at O'Hare for the year was closer to pre-pandemic levels, reaching 95% of 2019 numbers. Passenger traffic at Midway had surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
Rhee also oversaw major construction projects at the two airports, including the completion of a redesign of O'Hare's runways to reduce delays at the congested airport nearly 20 years after the project was announced.
Another major O'Hare construction project during Rhee's tenure has yet to take off. Work to replace Terminal 2 with a new Global Terminal and add two satellite concourses is set to be the centerpiece of an overhaul of the airport's terminals.
Tirado first served as acting OEMC director at the end of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot's tenure before Johnson permanently appointed him to the role in December 2023. His office has helped secure federal funding for West Side flooding and planned the city's handling of major events like Lollapalooza and the first two NASCAR street races.
The OEMC also receives the city's emergency calls and dispatches police, fire fighters and ambulances, putting it in a key position to oversee Johnson's plans to change the way first responders react to mental health-related calls.
A source close to Tirado said he submitted his resignation to the city earlier this year to take a position in the Investigations Bureau of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
The recent departures follow the retirement of CTA President Dorval Carter, announced last month. Carter, appointed to lead city's sister agency by then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2015, had in recent years faced criticism and mounting pressure to resign, but Johnson had publicly pushed back on his detractors.
Leaders first appointed by previous mayors still head the city's Park District, Streets and Sanitation, Fire Department and other key city agencies. But based on the mayor's Monday warning, there could be more heads rolling soon.
'Everybody don't have that Joseph anointing,' Johnson quipped to the audience. 'There's a whole bunch of people who are like, 'Oh, shoot, who's about to get fired?' Well, you're about to find out, stay tuned.'