Afternoon Edition: Johnson chief of staff announces exit two days after primary

Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶

“Tuesday’s primary brought a mixed bag for the left-leaning political movement that last year elevated Mayor Brandon Johnson to the fifth floor of City Hall along with the most progressive City Council ever elected — but now could be bracing for the biggest blow yet to its agenda.”

That’s how my colleague Mitchell Armentrout summed up the primary and expected defeat of “Bring Chicago Home” in his recent analysis ... which he wrote before Johnson’s experienced chief of staff announced Thursday that he’s resigning.

It’s been an eventful week at City Hall, which we have more on below.

Plus, we’ve got reporting on a police arbitration ruling, a new book by a local author, the friendship between a suburban pup and postman and more community news you need to know today. 👇

⏱️: A 7-minute read

— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)

TODAY’S TOP STORY

After primary setbacks, Johnson administration loses experienced chief of staff

Reporting by Fran Spielman, Mitchell Armentrout, Brett Chase and Lauren FitzPatrick

Chief of staff out: Two days after a disappointing primary for Mayor Brandon Johnson and his “Bring Chicago Home” referendum, the mayor’s chief of staff announced he’s stepping down in April. Richard Guidice, a City Hall lifer who has seen Chicago through countless protests and special events, will leave the post next month with nearly 33 years of experience in city government.

Primary concerns: Guidice’s announced departure comes two days after a low-turnout election in which Mayor Johnson’s prized “Bring Chicago Home” ballot question appears headed for rejection. In addition to the referendum’s apparent failure, CTU-backed Clayton Harris III is narrowly trailing Eileen O’Neill Burke in the still undecided Cook County state’s attorney’s race — bringing more stress than celebration for many in progressive circles.

Who will replace Guidice?: Chief Operating Officer John Roberson and Deputy Chief of Staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas are among the potential picks to become Johnson’s new chief of staff, but senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee said Johnson was not ready to announce a replacement.

Other staff changes: The city also announced Thursday that Johnson has officially appointed Marlene Hopkins to be the city’s top official responsible for making sure buildings, as well as demolitions, are safe for the public. Hopkins was the Buildings Department employee who oversaw a botched implosion of a Little Village coal plant smokestack four years ago.

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WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times file

• Teen charged in deadly shooting: A 16-year-old boy has been charged with a shooting that left three people dead — including a 14-year-old boy — in Chatham last month. The teen, charged as an adult, faces a count of murder for each of the slain victims, as well as a count of attempted murder for a fourth person who was shot.
• Police arbitration ruling: A Cook County judge ruled Thursday that rank-and-file Chicago cops facing the most serious disciplinary charges can bypass the Chicago Police Board and have their cases heard by an outside arbitrator — but the proceedings should be held in public.
• Little Village baby shower program: Inspired by the tragic death of Marlen Ochoa-Lopez, who was killed in 2019, nonprofit community center El Valor has been holding baby showers to help expecting mothers in need.
• Network outage at driver services facilities: All driver services facilities in Illinois and nationwide were affected by a “network outage” Thursday, the Illinois Secretary of State’s office announced.
• Airports expect spring break surge: The spring break travel season is projected to be busier than last year, with about 2.9 million people expected to fly through Chicago’s airports.
• CPS launches STEM master’s initiative: Chicago Public Schools juniors and seniors could trim two years off the time it takes to earn a college degree in a new dual-enrollment program with City Colleges of Chicago and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
• California Zephyr turns 75: A ceremony with cake and balloons was held this week at Union Station to mark the 75th anniversary of the Chicago-to-San Francisco Amtrak train. “It’s legendary. I had to see it for myself,” a waiter from Philadelphia told the Sun-Times before embarking on the 51-hour and 20-minute journey.
• Sleater-Kinney comes to Chicago: The band spoke with the Sun-Times ahead of its headlining show at the Riviera Theater Thursday night about its career and new album, “Little Rope,” the group’s 11th record. “Chicago was always a really great town for us,” guitarist Corin Tucker said.

SUN-TIMES BOOK CLUB 📖

Tyler Pasicak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Chicago author Cynthia Pelayo’s new novel ‘Forgotten Sisters’ tells the ghost stories of the city’s past

Reporting by Ambar Colón

Chicago author Cynthia Pelayo’s new novel, “Forgotten Sisters,” tells the horror-tinged story of modern-day siblings, Anna and Jennie Arbor, living in a creaky, rattling old Ravenswood dwelling along the Chicago River that is home to the spirits of generations past.

Anna produces a ghost story podcast out of her bedroom to counter the loneliness she feels after the tragic deaths of their parents, while her sister Jennie, who wants nothing to do with ghosts, spends her days repairing music equipment.

Like any good horror story, there’s a shocking twist: The sisters are confronted with an increasing number of bodies floating by their home in the river below. Anna grows obsessed with reading the news reports and begins her own investigation into the history of the deceased. Who were they before they ended up in their murky, watery graves? Everything comes to a head when the dreadful truth is revealed.

With a background in journalism, creative writing and poetry, Pelayo, as a novelist, crafts stories that blur the line between history and fantasy. The Puerto Rico-born, Chicago-raised writer intertwines bits and pieces of fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, focusing on the darker aspects of classic stories.

“Chicago’s a character in every single one of my books,” she said. “And I think for the time being, I’m going to continue doing that. I love this city so much.”

Sound off: Have you read this book? Tell us what you think by replying to this email.

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BRIGHT ONE ✨

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Frannie the chihuahua loves Hoffman Estates mail carrier, and thanks to social media, the whole world knows it

Reporting by Stefano Esposito

Some people have wondered whether Frannie and Dan were devoted to each other in an earlier life. How else to explain the way they behave when they’re together?

But even that doesn’t quite hit the mark. When Dan pulls up to the curb, Frannie greets him — every time — as if he’d been shipwrecked at sea and she has just learned he survived. And she always looks her gorgeous best — in sequins, taffeta, even a cute little number in pink leopard print.

It’s a morning ritual that Frannie’s owner Lisa Laskey has captured every weekday — hundreds of times — on her cellphone, which she then posts on social media.

People can’t get enough of Dan Larsen, Laskey’s Hoffman Estates mail carrier, and Frannie, her tricolored, 2-year-old chihuahua. One video showing Frannie darting out the door to greet Larsen drew 16 million viewers on Facebook, according to Laskey.

Giddy responses from “Frannie Nation” — as Laskey calls the loved-up couple’s followers — include people undergoing chemotherapy, in drug rehab or trying to cope with the loss of a loved one.

It all began in October 2021, not long after Laskey and her husband, Dwayne, brought Frannie home from a boutique pet store. Larsen pulled up in his mail truck one morning. Lisa Laskey went out, cradling Frannie, and said: “Would you like to meet the newest member of the Laskey family?’ I handed her to him. … She kissed his face like they were long-lost lovers.”

Larsen, a dog lover, ate it up.

“Every time I see her, it’s like the very first time. It doesn’t get old,” says Larsen, 64.

You can see the Dan and Frannie connection for yourself in a video here.

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YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️

What’s a book about Chicago that you think every resident should read? Tell us why.

Email us (please include your first and last name). To see the answers to this question, check our Morning Edition newsletter. Not subscribed to Morning Edition? Sign up here so you won’t miss a thing!

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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers