Media Notices Arena Sucks

The Slum Times picks up on the fact that Arena is unpopular every where he goes:

• Former Northwest Side Ald. John Arena (45th) has his work cut out for him if he hopes to make a dent as Mayor Brandon Johnson’s new Springfield lobbyist.

  Arena has no prior relationships or track record in Springfield, and is getting a late start on the city’s formidable to-do list with just over two months to go in a spring session dominated by the state’s massive budget shortfall.

  Johnson has struggled to build a strong list of accomplishments in Springfield, beyond convincing Illinois Senate President Don Harmon not to call for a vote a bill that would have extended a moratorium on public school closings and shielded Chicago’s selective-enrollment, magnet and charter schools from major changes.

  The mayor also has a tense relationship with Gov. JB Pritzker. After a recent clash between Pritzker and Johnson over the governor’s stalled hemp regulations initiative, Pritzker complained that the mayor and his team “don’t have good relationships in Springfield, in part, because they don’t do the outreach that’s necessary.”

  Some of Arena’s former City Council colleagues are upset with Johnson’s decision to hire the former Northwest Side alderperson because of political bridges Arena burned with them during his two terms as a Chicago alderperson.

Arena is simply a Grade A scumbag, good only at making enemies and acting like a petulant child whenever things don't go his way. Conehead appointing him to go to Springfield where Arena is probably the only person less popular than Conehead, is a stupid move from a stupid mayor.