Video: The WTTW News Spotlight Politics team on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration changes and more of the day’s top news. (Produced by Paul Caine)
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday tapped Cristina Pacione-Zayas to serve as his chief of staff, promoting her to replace Rich Guidice, whose last day with the city after 33 years was Monday.
Since Johnson took office, Pacione-Zayas has served as his first deputy chief of staff, charged with overseeing the city’s response to the arrival of nearly 38,500 migrants from the southern border. That crisis has strained the city’s social safety net, ballooned the city’s budget shortfall and exacerbated tension between Chicago’s Black and Latino communities.
A former vice president of the Erikson Institute, Pacione-Zayas previously helped push state lawmakers to increase funding for education before she won a seat in the Illinois Senate and joined the progressive caucus, becoming a reliable supporter of its initiatives.
“This role presents a unique opportunity to advance our collective vision for a city determined to deliver equity and opportunity for all,” Pacione-Zayas said in a statement, “and I am committed to leveraging every resource and partnership to make this vision a reality.”
Pacione-Zayas’ promotion not only delighted members of Chicago’s progressive political community, but also means that the mayor’s top aide is Latina, with an expertise in education — an issue at the top of Johnson’s agenda.
“Cristina’s unparalleled dedication to our city, her depth of knowledge on critical issues affecting our neighborhoods like housing, community safety and education, and her proven track record of leadership make her the ideal person to serve as my next chief of staff,” Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson’s decision to hire Guidice, the former head of the Office of Emergency Management Communications under former Mayors Lori Lightfoot and Rahm Emanuel, to serve as his chief of staff won acclaim from many of those who backed Johnson’s defeated rival, Paul Vallas, concerned that the newly elected progressive mayor would struggle to manage Chicago’s bureaucracy.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
