Chicago Mayor Faces Leadership Turmoil With Budget Staff Changes

WHO:

Chicago Tribune - Annette Guzman, budget director for Mayor Brandon Johnson, is resigning.

Chicago Tribune - Steve Mahr, acting Chief Financial Officer, and Noor Shaikh, Deputy CFO, also resigned.

Chicago Tribune - Jill Jaworski, former CFO, departed at the beginning of the year.

Chicago Tribune - Jonathan Ernst, Guzman's deputy, will serve as acting budget director.

Chicago Tribune - Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President, was Guzman's previous employer.

WHAT:

Chicago Tribune - Guzman is leaving her role amid a finance team shakeup ahead of a challenging budget season.

Chicago Tribune - Guzman stated, “Ten years of public service... has been the greatest honor of my career.”

Chicago Tribune - The city could face layoffs if a projected $90 million deficit materializes by year’s end.

Chicago Tribune - The City Council passed a budget over the mayor’s objections for the first time in 40 years.

WHERE:

Chicago Tribune - The events are taking place in Chicago, Illinois.

WHEN:

Chicago Tribune - The 2027 budget season is upcoming, with Johnson set to introduce his fourth budget.

Chicago Tribune - Guzman followed Johnson from Cook County government to the mayor’s office in May 2023.

Chicago Tribune - Chasse Rehwinkel resigned as the city’s comptroller in December 2024.

Chicago Tribune - Michael Belsky became comptroller in July 2025.

WHY:

Chicago Tribune - Guzman is taking time away from her role to focus on caring for her family.

Chicago Tribune - The resignations are occurring amid significant fiscal challenges in Chicago’s history.

HOW:

Chicago Tribune - Guzman oversaw a series of tense budgets and pushed back against projections that she argued would worsen the city’s financial standing.

(UPDATED August 4, 2026 15:33 UTC)

In a significant shakeup within Chicago's finance team, Annette Guzman, the budget director for Mayor Brandon Johnson, is resigning to focus on her family, alongside the departures of acting Chief Financial Officer Steve Mahr and Deputy CFO Noor Shaikh. Guzman, who joined Johnson from Cook County government in May 2023, expressed that her decade of public service has been the greatest honor of her career, as the city braces for a challenging budget season with a projected $90 million deficit looming. Jonathan Ernst, Guzman's deputy, will step in as acting budget director as the City Council prepares for Johnson's upcoming fourth budget introduction in 2027, marking a historic moment as they passed a budget over the mayor's objections for the first time in 40 years.