Some members of Chicago City Council are asking Illinois lawmakers to limit mayoral authority in regards to Board of Education appointments amid a massive shakeup that concluded with Mayor Brandon Johnson announcing six new appointments Monday.
The appointments followed the sudden resignation of the entire Chicago Board of Education Friday as the Johnson administration faces an impasse over a $300 million short-term loan.
A Chicago mayor's appointments currently do not require City Council approval.
As Johnson moves to bring in six new members of the school board, NBC 5 Investigates has discovered one the appointees, Mitchell Johnson, was disbarred in Ohio in 1990.
In recent years, Mitchell also had a lien placed on his house for non-payment of child support, which was later released. A lien was also issued for non-payment of the water bill at his South Holland home.
Forrest Claypool, a former CPS CEO who has memorialized his years at City Hall in a new book title, "The Daley Show," said that Johnson is "the Chicago Teachers Union mayor" who is not representing all of Chicago.
"He's representing the political patron that brought him to the dance and put him in the mayor's office, and taxpayers are going to pay for that," Claypool said.
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42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly is among the City Council members pushing for state lawmakers to make a change.
"Given what's going on right now, with the reconstitution of the school board, the council needs to have a role in the approval process," Reilly said.
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Mayoral ally and 25th Ward Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez said Johnson's appointments should be respected.
"The mayor has been elected democratically by the people; certain City Council members do not accept the fact," Sigcho-Lopez said.
NBC Chicago reached out to Mitchell Johnson, Mayor Johnson's office and Chicago Public Schools for comment, but received no response.
