>> PAUL VALLAS AND BRANDON JOHNSON ARE OFF TO THE RACES WITH A LITTLE MORE THAN A MONTH BEFORE THE ELECTION.

IN JOHNSON'S SPEECH LAST NIGHT HE CALLED VALLAS THE AUTHOR OF THE TALE OF TWO CITIES.

JOINING US NOW IS CHICAGO CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR, BRANDON JOHNSON.

WE INVITED PAUL VALLAS BUT HE DECLINED TODAY.

WE WELCOME AND CONGRATULATE YOU.

I KNOW IT'S BEEN A WHIRLWIND 12-24 HOURS FOR YOU.

THE POLICE SUPERINTENDENT SUBMITTED HIS RESIGNATION, WHAT SHOULD WE BE LOOKING FOR IN HIS REPLACEMENT?

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME BACK, I WAS RAISED BY A PASTOR AND A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE.

THE WAY HE RAISED US WAS THAT IN ORDER TO HAVE A GOOD EFFECTIVE SPACE YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS COLLABORATIVE, COMPETENT AND COMPASSIONATE.

SO AS THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO I WOULD BE LOOKING FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE THOSE CHARACTERISTICS.

SOMEONE WHO IS TENTATIVE TO THE COMMUNITY AND UNDERSTANDS THE NATURE OF CHICAGO.

>> IS THAT SOMEONE FROM THE INSIDE?

OR SOMEONE FROM ANOTHER DEPARTMENT ACROSS THE COUNTRY?

>> THAT'S WHERE WE WILL START BUT WE WILL SEARCH FOR THE RIGHT TALENT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY IF NECESSARY.

>> I WANT TO REFER TO THE COMMENT YOU MADE LAST NIGHT, THE TALE OF TWO CITIES.

THE PREDICAMENT CHICAGO FINDS ITSELF IN SAYING PAUL VALLAS IS THE AUTHOR OF THAT.

>> IS VERY CLEAR THAT CHICAGO DOES NOT WANT TO GO BACK TO THE OLD STYLE OF POLITICS.

EVERYWHERE PAUL BALIS HAS BEEN IN CHARGE , HE LEFT A MESS.

HE IN CHICAGO, HE WENT GLOBALLY, HE WENT TO HAITI, HE WENT TO BRIDGEPORT AND WAS SENT BACK HERE.

HE WORKED UNDER A REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR, THE TYPE OF FINANCES THAT HE HAS RELAYED OVER THE COURSE OF DECADES NOW, PARTICULARLY IN THE 90s, WE HAVE TO FIX THAT.

WE NEED ONE STORY FOR ONE CHICAGO.

>> CLEARLY YOU HAVE VERY DIFFERENT VISIONS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, YOU HAVE TALKED ABOUT REDIRECTING ABOUT $150 MILLION OUT OF THE POLICE BUDGET TO COMMUNITY PROJECTS.

HOW DOES THAT REDIRECTION SOLVE THE PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE IN SO MANY NEIGHBORHOODS?

>> WE WILL SPEND MONEY TO PROMOTE DETECTIVES, SO WE CAN WORK TOWARDS SOLVING CRIME.

WE WILL INVEST IN MAKING SURE THE CONSENT DECREE IS ADMINISTERED.

ABSOLUTELY WE ARE GOING TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE RESPONDERS FOR 911 CALLS WHICH ARE MENTAL CRISIS.

IT'S ABOUT BEING SMART ABOUT OUR RESOURCES.

RIGHT NOW WE DO NOT HAVE A STRUCTURE THAT IS ACTUALLY SUPPORTIVE FOR WHAT THE CITY OF CHICAGO DESERVES AND NEEDS.

WE HAVE PLACED TOO MUCH PRESSURE AND RESPONSIBILITY ON LAW ENFORCEMENT TO BEHAVE AS SOCIAL WORKERS AND COUNSELORS.

THAT IS NOT WHAT LAW ENFORCEMENT SHOULD BE DOING.

I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE THEY CAN DO THEIR JOB.

>> BUT TO BE CLEAR THERE ARE RESOURCES WITHIN THE CPD, DO YOU WANT TO HIRE MORE POLICE OFFICERS?

SOME SAY THE DEPARTMENT IS ABOUT 1500 SHORT OF WHAT THE NUMBERS SHOULD BE.

>> THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME AND PAUL VALLAS, I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH WHILE HE MISLEADS THE CITY.

WHEN PAUL VALLAS TALKS ABOUT HIRING 1000 MORE POLICE OFFICERS, WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THOSE OFFICERS FROM?

LIKE MANY NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS THE CITY WE ARE EXPERIENCING UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS OF VIOLENCE.

WE CAN'T WAIT TWO YEARS TO HAVE A SAFE COMMUNITY AND THAT'S WHY MY PLAN IS SLEEPING AND GIVES TREATMENT TO THE IMMEDIATE CRISIS.

THERE'S A CORRELATION BETWEEN YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AND CRIME PLACING OFFICERS IN HARMS WAY AND PUTTING THEM IN POSITIONS WHERE THEY ARE NOT EQUIPPED TO HANDLE.

UNDER MY ADMINISTRATION WE WILL BE SMART ABOUT HOW WE HANDLE PUBLIC SAFETY.

>> AS A MEMBER OF THE TEACHERS UNION YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT EDUCATION.

YOU TALKED ABOUT FULLY FUNDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NOT JUST TEACHERS BUT RESOURCES AND THERAPISTS, HOW WILL YOU DO THAT GIVEN THE FACT THAT BY SOME PREDICTIONS, THE SYSTEM WILL FACED ABOUT A HALF BILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT IN THE COMING YEARS?

>> YEAH, BEING THE ONLY PERSON IN THE RACE RIGHT NOW THAT HAS ACTUALLY PRODUCED A BALANCED BUDGET PLAN THAT ELIMINATES THE DEBT THAT PAUL VALLAS CREATED WHILE ALSO MAKING CRITICAL INVESTMENTS UP TO $1 MILLION WITHOUT RAISING PROPERTY TAXES, I WILL SAY THAT AGAIN, WITHOUT RAISING PROPERTY TAXES.

RIGHT NOW THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE SITTING ON $1 BILLION RECEIVED FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF THOSE DOLLARS SHOULD BE ADMINISTERED WITH DUE EXPEDIENCY.

WE ALSO HAVE A FUNDING FORMULA, I ORGANIZED, IT'S BASED ON NEED AND NOT PER PEOPLE.

IF WE MOVED TOWARDS THE FORMULA I HAVE FOUGHT FOR, CPS COULD RECEIVE UP TO $1 BILLION MORE TO PROVIDE THE CRITICAL SERVICES NEEDED.

THAT'S EVERYTHING FROM MAKING SURE THAT THEY CAN GET TO SCHOOL IN TIME, MAKING SURE WE ARE EXPANDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS WITH COMMUNITY CONTROL OVER THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY.

TAKING SURE THERE IS A SOCIAL WORKER, NURSE, LIBRARIAN, THE ARTS, ATHLETICS, CHILDREN DESERVE A FULL FUNDED WELL-ROUNDED CURRICULUM.

NOT THIS STRATIFIED SYSTEM THAT PAUL VALLAS ADMINISTERED.

>> SPEAKING OF SCHOOLS, I ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING YOU DISAGREED WITH ON THE CTU, YOU SAID NO BUT FOLKS MIGHT BE CONCERNED THAT YOU HAD TO NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT WITH THE CPU ON BEHALF OF TAX PAYERS.

>> I'M GOING TO BE THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO WHICH MEANS I WILL BE THE MAYOR FOR EVERYONE.

I HAVE PASSED MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR BUDGETS WITH 16 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND SEVERAL ELECTED OFFICIALS.

AND I DID THAT EVEN THOUGH I WAS SUPPORTED BY SCI YOU 73 AND OTHER UNIONS.

WE HAD CONTRACTS AT THE COUNTY LEVEL AND PAST CONTRACTS THAT REFLECT THE VALUES OF THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR BUDGETS, I'VE DONE THESE PROVIDING CRITICAL INVESTMENTS WITHOUT RAISING PROPERTY TAXES.

WE DID THAT WITHOUT HAVING THE SUPPORT OF MEN AND WOMEN IN CHICAGO.

WE CAN DO BOTH.

>> DO YOU ANTICIPATE ANY ENDORSEMENTS COMING YOUR WAY?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> CAN YOU REVEAL ANY OF THOSE?

>> THEN YOU WON'T INVITE ME BACK.

STAY TUNED.

I FULLY EXPECT TO HAVE ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE, OPERATIONS THAT THIS CITY HAS SEEN IN A GENERATION.

WE ALREADY REFLECT THAT MULTICULTURAL MOVEMENT FROM JEFFERSON PARK TO HUMBOLDT PARK.

WE ARE BUILDING AN INCREDIBLE MOVEMENT, A BETTER SAFER, STRONGER CHICAGO AS