SPRINGFIELD — Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson on Wednesday urged state lawmakers to deliver funds for schools, youth employment and other ambitious initiatives that he said would uplift Chicago — and with it, Illinois — during his first visit to Springfield since winning the election.

Johnson’s wide-ranging address to a joint session of the Illinois House and Senate served as an extension of his campaign themes of championing progressive values and a holistic approach to tackling crime, a front-of-mind concern after a weekend when three teens were shot amid hundreds of young people converging downtown and along the lakefront.

“Public safety is a prerequisite to the prosperity of Chicago, and the voters have sent a clear message that they want to get smart, not just tough, on crime,” Johnson said on the House floor. “We have a mandate to make bold, necessary investments that address the root causes of violence.”

Johnson reaffirmed that stance during a post-speech news conference in which he defended his earlier call to not “demonize youth” following the chaotic weekend, and rejected pressure from critics to be more forceful, though he also took pains to stress that he had said he does not condone the destruction and violence.

“Have you ever taught middle school? I have. Have you ever raised young people? Do you understand the risk that young people take just because they’re young?” Johnson said. “Sometimes they make silly decisions. They do. And so we have to make sure that we are investing to make sure that young people know that they are supported.”

Throughout his remarks to legislators, Johnson underscored the importance of uniting the state and rejecting the age-old dynamic of Chicago and downstate interests fighting over resources.

“They’ve told us that this is a zero-sum game. And if something is good for Chicago, well, that means we’re taking something away from Peoria,” Johnson said. “But I’m here to deliver an emphatic message today. It is a false choice. No one has to lose at the expense of someone else winning. There is more than enough for everybody in the state of Illinois.”

Johnson arrived in Springfield on Tuesday and began a marathon itinerary of meetings with various caucuses during his two-day trip. The general objective was to establish a rapport with legislators ahead of his term, but he also laid out more of his agenda’s priorities in both private discussions and his floor speech.

The busy visit carried a tone of optimism as Johnson came to the Capitol having already established inroads with many Democratic state legislators, an advantage his predecessor, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, lacked when she took office four years ago. He touted long-standing relationships with House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, whose son plays baseball with Johnson’s son, and Senate President Don Harmon, for whom Johnson previously served as an aide.

But the positive feelings will likely be confronted with fiscal limitations as discussions progress, and Johnson shied away from naming desired figures or timelines. He chuckled when reporters asked for specifics, saying at one point, “How do I call myself a collaborator, and then I’m dictating? These are ongoing conversations.”

He did promote revising the state’s formula for allocating funding for public school districts and boosting the Local Government Distributive Fund, which is the portion of the state income tax that goes to municipalities, as two initiatives he sees as long overdue.

Johnson also repeated to lawmakers his campaign pledge to boost job opportunities for young people, an effort where he said Chicago falls short despite the role it can play in curbing crime. He said in his speech that he will draw from government, philanthropy and private sectors to increase youth employment.

“Too many young Chicagoans feel there is nowhere to turn,” Johnson said. “Instead of lagging behind other major cities on youth summer jobs, Chicago will look to aggressively expand the number of jobs for young people.”

Johnson also drew on his experience as a former Chicago Public Schools teacher, a career that he touted often on the campaign trail. He opened up the speech noting how far he had come from the middle school classroom to mayor-elect of Chicago and said that schools today need more resources to help the number of students suffering from trauma.

While arguing for a revised state funding formula to ensure a nurse and social worker in every CPS school, Johnson vowed to “build a comprehensive trauma response network at the schools most impacted by violence … to help them process this trauma and heal while also interrupting the cycle of violence.”

Touching again on the theme of one Illinois, Johnson said his desire for increasing the Local Government Distributive Fund will benefit not just Chicago but cities and towns statewide, saying that “when we build a better, stronger, safer Chicago, we are building a better, stronger, safer Illinois.”

Up until the early 2010s, the LGDF received 10% of the state’s income tax in order for cities across Illinois to get money to help pay for their infrastructure. That decreased to about 6% as the state’s fiscal condition deteriorated.

The Illinois Municipal League and a number of mayors now want to restore the 10% share originally promised when the income tax was instituted, while Gov. J.B. Pritzker and others argue that the existing amount is fair given that the tax rate was raised to end the state’s budget impasse under Pritzker’s predecessor, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Johnson also called for supporting migrants who have come to the city from Central and South America and ensuring Chicago’s status as a haven for abortion rights.

“There are those that are trying to divide our communities,” Johnson said, referring to arguments over resources provided to asylum-seekers in Chicago. “The attempt to divide the Black and brown community? Not under a Johnson administration.”

While promising an era of collaboration, the mayor-elect made sure to tout his progressive bona fides and align himself with similar-minded legislators in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. He referenced the success of Pritzker’s worker’s rights amendment push last November as well as the state’s investments in anti-violence programming.

And he harked back to his campaign pledge to fulfill the mission of Black Americans from generations past to bring about racial equality.

“We are building the political infrastructure to ensure that we do not leave it to chance that families will have access to health care and transportation and good paying jobs,” Johnson said. “We have to make it a guarantee that every single family in the state of Illinois has access to the very fundamentals that my people in particular fought for at the end of emancipation.”

Johnson was at the Capitol before 8 a.m. on Wednesday, showing up with a cadre of aides and bodyguards to a fourth-floor meeting room to engage in meet-and-greets with Democratic lawmakers from the progressive, moderate, Asian American and Latino caucuses.

The previous evening, he met with the Black Caucus and Chicago delegation at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations offices. On Wednesday night, he was set to dine with Pritzker at the Governor’s Mansion.

Lawmakers interviewed by the Tribune said that in addition to the priorities highlighted on the floor speech, Johnson privately talked to them about violence prevention programming and addressing homelessness. Progressives signaled excitement over his visionary goals, while moderate Democrats exhibited a measured openness to such a platform.

Republicans, for the most part, were critical. During his speech, a handful of GOP lawmakers sat with printouts of the “Blue Lives Matter” flags on their desks, an apparent rebuke of Johnson’s past rhetoric in support of the “defund the police” movement that he later walked back.

House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, of Savanna, criticized what she called “one of the most political speeches I’ve ever heard on the House floor,” saying Johnson focused mostly on Democrats.

“It’s really unfortunate because we have Republicans that represent parts of Cook County, and here we are,” she said. “I would think that the mayor-elect of Chicago already has a speechwriter that could help him make sure to be inclusive to all people, and unfortunately I did not see that today.”

State Rep. Will Guzzardi of Chicago, part of the Democrats’ progressive wing, said that Johnson “brings not only a vision that is aligned with ours … but also a desire to work with us to build constructive relationships in Springfield.”

State Rep. Kambium “Kam” Buckner, a Chicago Democrat, hinted that anti-violence programming will be of chief importance for Johnson as negotiations continue over the state budget. Last year, the Illinois General Assembly set aside more than $240 million toward those efforts.

“I’m sure it’s going to be an increase. I don’t know how much exactly he’s going to be asking for. But this is something that I think we have to do for the entire state,” said Buckner, who was one of Johnson’s rivals in the first round of the mayoral election on Feb. 28.

State Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, a Democrat from Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, said he was happy to see that Johnson wanted to work on affordable housing, violence prevention and other issues important to his constituents.

“He’s really trying to make sure that he’s working with everybody,” said Gonzalez. “I’m actually very hopeful.”

One of the moderate Democrats who met with Johnson, state Rep. Marty Moylan of Des Plaines, said Johnson’s approach differed from the one taken by Lightfoot, who had a sometimes contentious relationship with Springfield.

Moylan predicted that “generally, he’s going to have cooperation from us” — but with accountability.

“If there’s going to be money for programs that help with anti-crime … we would like to see results for the money that’s being spent,” Moylan said.

State Sen. Patrick Joyce, a moderate Democrat from Essex, said the legislature needs to be cautious about catering to Chicago’s financial needs.

“Of course, the city of Chicago is part of the state … but I also have to represent the district that I represent,” Joyce said. “It’s got to be a level playing field across the state.”

State Rep. Bradley Stephens, the lone House Republican whose district touches part of Chicago, indicated he’d back Johnson’s call for changes to the Local Government Distributive Fund.

“I think that that’s a way that (Chicago) can get some much needed revenue. At the same time, the suburban and downstate and the whole state of Illinois can benefit from that,” said Stephens, who also serves as the mayor of Rosemont. “That’s sort of a win-win-win for everybody.”

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