Mayor Brandon Johnson Bans Smoking on Chicago Transit Authority, but Smokescreen ‘Issues’ Just Fine

Amid multiple crises, Mayor Johnson concentrates on the critical problem of smoking on public transit

‍Chicago's self-professed "progressive" Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson has found something about the Windy City that desperately needs his attention. It isn't out-of-control spending, or crime, or economic destruction, of course. It is smoking on the CTA.

Like a white knight swooping in to save the day, Johnson has put on a full court press to proudly proclaim that he has taken on the evils of smoking on mass transit, and he has slayed that beast.

On Tuesday, July 22, the mayor held a presser to announce his big executive order, the "Safe And Smoke-Free Public Transit" campaign.

Johnson is so lit up over his smoking ban that he has even directed the Chicago Police to step up their nanny stating and get to finger wagging at those darn smokers, he said in his press release.

Addressing the scourge of smoking on the CTA, Johnson piously said:

"Smoking on our public transit system has got to stop, and I am directing our City’s agencies and the Mayor’s Office to work together to put an end to this activity. Our public transit system is for all Chicagoans. We have parents taking their young children to school in the morning and seniors with respiratory issues who are inhaling smoke. This executive order calls for the same full-force-of-government approach that has resulted in historic reductions in crime to tackle this critical issue."

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He even bullied Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling to step up and comment on this burning issue.

"We are committed to strengthening safety across the CTA and addressing the concerns of transit passengers. Our dedicated Public Transportation Section personnel will further these efforts in close partnership with our City and social service partners," Snelling proclaimed.

Notice that Snelling deftly danced around the smoking point and parsed his comments toward "safety" and "addressing the concerns of passengers." Very smart not to elevate smoking to the same level as the mounting robberies, rapes, murders, and other mayhem rising on the city's mass transit system.  

And that is just the point, here.

Johnson is once again waving his arms and acting like he is "doing something" important. This time he is all puffed up about smoking, but it's all just another smokescreen from the mayor as his city burns down around him.

The mayor is now pushing his unarmed "security" that has no real power to do anything to become smoking scolds. Even as crime continues to be a problem on trains and buses.

Green and Red Line passengers are still prone to confronting danger in their daily commute. Late last year Illinois Policy noted that "About 1.9 out of every 100,000 rides starting at a CTA Green Line station or platform ended in a crime."

Also, the data showed that a crime was committed on the CTA every three hours.

The Chicago Tribune reported that despite the boost in spending on security measures, crime was still higher on the CTA than during the most recent pre-pandemic years.

But smoking is the scourge that Hopalong Johnson is all worried about.

Once again, Mayor Johnson shows that he lacks any serious ability to identify and address the most important priorities in the City of Chicago.

Instead of working on real solutions for his nearly $1 billion budget deficit (which is on top of last year's $162 millions deficit), instead of trying to prevent crime on the CTA and the city's buses, instead of bringing jobs back, instead of working to improve education in the city's schools, instead of bringing tax relief to the dwindling number of city residents, Johnson is playing games with smoking. This is typical of "progressives." They put on shows, and indulge in their misplaced priorities and achieve nothing of merit for their voters.