Mayor Brandon Johnson Faces Scrutiny Over $30K Haircuts

by Daniel Johnson

June 8, 2024

In accordance with the mayor, he doesn’t use taxpayer cash for his grooming bills.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is going through scrutiny over his $30,000 hair and make-up finances, with some quantities seemingly unpaid to the institutions listed as recipients. Johnson’s marketing campaign advisor, nonetheless, mentioned that the discrepancy was a results of a vendor who put the mistaken title within the disclosure submitting despatched to the State of Illinois. 

Because the Chicago Solar-Occasions studies, in response to questions on a $4,000 cost to Anthony Jones Salon, which the proprietor instructed the outlet he by no means obtained, Invoice Neidhardt, Johnson’s marketing campaign advisor, instructed the outlet: “The seller that does our expenditure studies, we gave them the title of the enterprise and so they wrote down the mistaken one.” Neidhardt additionally indicated that the submitting “will likely be amended” to mirror that the cash was really spent with AJ Types Barber and Magnificence Salon. 

In accordance with elections board data obtained by the outlet, the progressive mayor pays for his private grooming appointments with cash contributed by supporters of Johnson’s Pals of Brandon Johnson marketing campaign fund. Over the previous 12 months, funds for grooming, which incorporates haircuts and skincare, totaled in extra of $30,000. 

Forward of 2023, the funds to Denise Milloy’s Make-up Majic, owned by self-described “skin-care fanatic” and make-up artist Denise Milloy, have been listed as “Candidate make-up for TV, Candidate make-up for debate, Candidate make-up, and Make-up retainer.” Submit-election, the funds have been solely listed as “occasion bills” and neither Milloy nor Johnson spoke to the paper about it. Milloy’s solely remark was that she was “not at liberty” to debate both her work or the cash she obtained for mentioned work. Milloy obtained the vast majority of the $30,000 from Johnson’s fund, whereas $4,000 went to AJ Types Barber and Magnificence Salon.

Neidhardt clarified that it was the mayor’s coverage to not spend taxpayer cash in a ready assertion.

“The mayor doesn’t spend taxpayer {dollars} in preparation for the numerous public appearances and occasions he attends day-after-day,” the assertion learn. “As a substitute, he’s utilizing his personal marketing campaign funds to pay Black- and women-owned companies a good wage in compensation for his or her work in making ready the mayor and people related to the marketing campaign for public appearances, occasions, media segments, and different availabilities. Hair and make-up providers are commonplace amongst high-ranking public officers.”

Their report on Johnson’s spending on hair and make-up follows a earlier report about allegations of improper contributions to Mayor Johnson’s marketing campaign. Earlier in 2024, Chicago’s Board of Ethics investigated contributions to Johnson’s marketing campaign, main Johnson to return a $2,000 donation from lobbyist Anthony Bruno after the investigation concluded.

Ald. Brendan Reilly went so far as to criticize Johnson’s backing from the Chicago Academics Union, with out mentioning both by title, telling the outlet, “In some instances, a few of our colleagues are wholly owned subsidiaries of a corporation that actually bankrolled their complete marketing campaign. And if that is actually about getting cash and the affect of it out of politics, it looks as if we’re nibbling across the edges right here.”

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