Overview
- Annette Guzman, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget director, resigned her post and announced she is stepping away to care for family, a move confirmed by the mayor’s office and reported Monday.
- First Deputy Jonathan Ernst was named acting budget director to lead the Office of Budget and Management during the transition.
- Guzman’s exit follows the recent departures of acting CFO Steven Mahr and his deputy Noor Shaikh and the January departure of permanent CFO Jill Jaworski, leaving two of the mayor’s top three finance posts without permanent leaders.
- City officials must now confront a projected FY2027 shortfall of roughly $1.16 billion, a recent mid‑year gap near $90 million, and about $36 billion in pension liabilities while preparing an October budget and an investors conference.
- Critics and some aldermen warned the turnover hurts investor confidence and budget talks, while the mayor defended continuity in his leadership and pledged a balanced budget for October; the story follows last year’s council revolt over revenue proposals and the long-running pension crisis.