>> A DEFIANT MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON VOWED TO KEEP PUSHING HIS BIG BOLD AGENDA ON WEDNESDAY.

ONE DAY AFTER PROGRESSIVE, CHICAGO DEMOCRATS APPEARED TO SUFFER 2 BIG SETBACKS.

LET'S LISTEN TO WHAT HE TOLD REPORTERS AFTER TODAY'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

>> MY RECORD OF BEING ABLE TO COMPEL AND CAMPAIGN.

AND CONVINCE.

THERE WERE SOME LIMITATIONS TO HOW I CAN ENGAGE IN THIS MOMENT.

THAT WAS FRUSTRATING.

BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT.

IF ANYONE BELIEVES.

THAT ONE ISSUE THAT WE STILL HAVE TO ADDRESS.

HE'S GOING TO CAUSE ME TO PUT THE BRAKES ON MY AGENDA.

WELL, THEY MISS THE CITY COUNCIL TODAY BECAUSE WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE 1.2 5 BILLION DOLLAR BONDS DEAL THAT'S GOING TO INVEST IN PEOPLE.

SO GUESS WHAT?

>> BUCKLE UP.

THE MAN SAID WBTW NEWS REPORTER HEATHER SHARON JOINS US NOW WITH THE LATEST ON THE AFTERMATH OF TUESDAY'S ELECTIONS.

HEATHER PROPOSAL KNOWN AS BRING CHICAGO HOME.

WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A LOT.

OF COURSE, IT IS TRAILING BY ABOUT 22,000 VOTES WHILE CLAYTON HARRIS, THE FACES A DEFICIT OF LESS THAN 10,000 VOTES.

EILEEN O'NEILL, IN THAT, OF COURSE, IS IN THE RACE FOR COOK COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY.

WHERE DOES THE VOTE COUNT?

STAND RIGHT NOW?

SO THERE IS A UNIVERSE OF ABOUT 150,000 MAIL-IN VOTES THAT WERE SENT OUT BY ELECTIONS OFFICIALS.

AND THAT COULD BE RETURNED BEFORE APRIL 2ND, AS LONG AS THEY WERE DROPPED OFF OR POSTMARKED BEFORE MIDNIGHT TUESDAY NIGHT.

>> NOW, TYPICALLY IN ANY GIVEN ELECTION SINCE THE PANDEMIC, ABOUT 80 TO 85% OF THOSE VOTES WILL COME SO THERE IS TECHNICALLY PLENTY OF VOTES FOR BOTH BRING CHICAGO HOME AND CLAYTON HARRIS TO MAKE UP THOSE DEFICITS.

BUT WE WON'T KNOW UNTIL SOMETIME TOMORROW ON THURSDAY WHEN ELECTIONS OFFICIALS FINISHED PROCESSING THOSE BALLOTS IN VALIDATING THOSE SIGNATURES AND COUNTING THOSE VOTES.

SO WE ARE ALL STILL IN THE WAITING PATTERN WHERE WE WERE HERE YESTERDAY AT 10 O'CLOCK.

YEAH.

IT'S ONE OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER AS MAIL IN BALLOTS HAVE HAVE GROWN IN POPULARITY.

IT'S WE'RE GOING TO GET USED TO NOT KNOWING ON ELECTION ELECTION DEFEATS OFTEN PROM POLITICIANS TO SORT OF RETHINK THEIR AGENDA, THOUGH ANY SIGN THE IS RECONSIDERING HIS APPROACH BEYOND THIS DEFIANT.

>> BUCKLE UP.

TONE.

THERE IS NOT.

THE MAYOR BELIEVES THAT THE CITY HAS A MORAL OBLIGATION TO HOUSE THE UNHOUSED AND THAT HE SAID SEVERAL TIMES THAT THIS IS A RACIAL EQUITY ISSUE.

70 1% CHICAGOANS WERE ON HOUSE ARE BLACK.

THE MAJORITY OF THE REST OF THEM ARE LATINO.

>> HE SAYS THAT THE CITY MUST TAKE ACTION AND HE SEEMED PRETTY FRUSTRATED WITH THE LOW TURNOUT YESTERDAY AND THE NUMBER OF REPUBLICANS SORT VOTING IN THIS BALLOT REFERENDUM QUESTION.

AND CALLED THE OPPOSITION, WHICH WAS LED BY THE BUSINESS AND REAL ESTATE COMMUNITIES COWARDLY.

HE SAID THAT THAT DROWNED OUT THE STORIES OF CHICAGO FAMILIES STRUGGLING TO STAY HOUSED IN A CITY THAT IS BECOMING MORE EXPENSIVE TO LIVE IN.

IT SEEMS EVERY DAY THIS IS NOT SOMEBODY WHO IS SORT OF LOOKING AT THESE VERY CLOSE RACES AND SAYING, MAN, I GOT TO RECALIBRATE.

THIS IS SOMEBODY WHO SAYS MAYBE WE DIDN'T PUSH JUST HARD WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO THAT.

BOTH SIDES OF THE BRING CHICAGO ISSUE IN JUST A BIT WITH OUR NEXT SEGMENT.

HE ALSO TOLD REPORTERS HIS HIS HANDS WERE TIED IN THE FIGHT FOR BRING CHICAGO HOME.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

THAT'S RIGHT.

WELL, SO THE CHICAGO EPIC SPORT HAS CRACKED DOWN IN RECENT ELECTIONS ABOUT CITY OFFICIALS USING THEIR OFFICIAL OFFICES IN TITLES AND CITY RESOURCES TO CAMPAIGN EITHER FOR OFFICES UP OR FOR OTHER PARTISAN ISSUES.

>> SO HE SAID THAT THERE WAS A LOT HE COULDN'T DO TO SORT OF ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF BRING CHICAGO HOME.

NOW, HE CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO VOTE ON BRING CHICAGO HOME, BUT HE DIDN'T SAY WHICH WAY REALLY HE WOULD VOTE IN SORT OF A CAMPAIGN SETTING.

HE SAID HE'S HE'S HE'S THE CITY'S GAME OR HE SAID HE WANTED THE BALL.

HE DIDN'T GET IT.

HE SAID HE'S READY TO PUNCH BACK NOW AND PEOPLE SHOULD BE WAITING.

I KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

EVEN WITH A LOT OF VOTES LEFT TO CLEAR.

ONE COOK COUNTY OFFICIAL, THOUGH, HAD A BAD NIGHT.

HEATHER, WHO'S AT?

YEAH, IRIS MARTINEZ LOST NOT ONLY HER BID FOR RE-ELECTION AS COOK COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT CLERK TO MARIANA SPEROPOULOS, BUT SHE ALSO LOST HER POSITION IS 33RD WARD DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE PERSON TO ALDERMAN ROSANA RODRIGUEZ SANCHEZ, MARTINEZ AND SANCHEZ HAD REALLY BEEN SORT IN GRUDGE MATCH FOR CONTROL OF THIS NORTHWEST SIDE POLITICAL MACHINE.

IN ADDITION, GROSSE GUZMAN AND ORGANIZER FOR THE CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION.

SHE'S