NW Illinois News

Mike Koolidge, chairman of the Ogle County Republicans, said that Mayor Brandon Johnson is now under scrutiny for allegedly promoting race-based hiring practices. These practices, according to Koolidge, prioritize ideology over merit and fairness in public service. Koolidge made his statement to NW Illinois News.

"Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson continues to be an utter embarrassment to Illinois's largest city, which is, in many ways, our state's face to the nation," said Koolidge. "His racist hiring practices are a blatant insult to merit and fairness. He apparently hasn't gotten the memo that our country has moved on from toxic woke ideologies and identitarianism. The fact that only 6% of Chicagoans approve of his mayorship, which has to be a record among all politicians nationally, is a sign of hope that even Democrats are no longer buying the divisive and hateful rhetoric he continues to peddle."

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Mayor Johnson's recent comments regarding the diversity within his administration have led to a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. During a May 18 appearance, Johnson highlighted that a record number of African Americans hold top positions in his administration. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon referenced these remarks in a letter, indicating that the investigation seeks to determine if hiring decisions were based solely on race, which would contravene Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Johnson has defended his record as being the most diverse in Chicago’s history.

In a letter dated May 19 addressed to Mayor Johnson, Assistant Attorney General Dhillon said, "The Department of Justice is opening an investigation to determine whether the City of Chicago, Illinois, is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964…. In your remarks made yesterday at the Apostolic Church of God in Woodlawn, you ‘highlight[ed] the number of Black officials in [your] administration.’ You then went on to list each of these individuals, emphasizing their race."

The Illinois Policy Institute reported that Chicago experienced 29,677 violent crimes from July 2023 to August 2024—the highest in five years. Robberies accounted for 35%, aggravated batteries for 30%, and aggravated assaults for 27%. Aggravated assaults increased by 5.3%, predominantly affecting Black victims and often involved deadly force without contact. Arrests were made in only one out of six cases despite having the second-highest arrest rate in five years. Assaults peaked at 5 p.m., particularly concentrated on the West and South sides, including Austin—Mayor Johnson's neighborhood—which recorded the most aggravated assaults.

Koolidge was first elected as Chairman of the Ogle County Republican Party in 2022. According to the organization’s website, he is "focused on boosting Republican voter turnout, growing the Party’s membership, and communicating the Party’s positions on issues that matter to Ogle County voters."