Chicago officials are coming under fire for embracing “socialism” amid revelations that the city is moving forward with plans to open and operate three grocery stores.
The controversial $26.7 million plan is aimed at catering to shoppers in the south and west of the city who would otherwise struggle to get their hands on decent quality food.
Critics have slammed the proposal as similar to state-run shops in socialist nations and the Soviet Union’s notorious bread lines.
Radio talk show host James Golden, better known as Bo Snerdley, said this shows how “socialism is creeping ever closer to a failed, lawless city run by Democrats.”
Others criticized the project as an unworkable “waste of taxpayer money” when Chicago already had a $538 million hole in its budget.
Closed stores on Chicago’s South Side show how getting fresh food can be a problem
Non-perishable items found in Chicago dollar stores are not the key to a healthy diet
Jason Proctor, a Chicago Republican running for state Senate, says retail should be left to Aldi, Walmart and other retail experts.
“You need to understand how operations work and how employees need to interact with the public,” Proctor told The Center Square.
“It’s just another waste of money to solve a problem that ultimately won’t lead to a solution.”
He also warned that city-run industries are prone to corruption, saying: “Who are the ones involved in this pie? Who are we using as suppliers?”
Progressive Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson floated the idea of creating municipal grocery stores shortly after taking office last year.
Residents on the South and West Sides complained that stores were consolidating or closing, leaving them with nowhere to shop.
The area, they said, was becoming a “food desert,” an urban ghetto where it is difficult to find fresh food at affordable prices or of good quality.
Johnson announced a deal with the Economic Security Project (ESP) last September, with the goal of opening a city-owned grocery store.
ESP hired research firm HR&A, which released a study this month supporting the idea of city-owned stores.
The group’s 200-page report said publicly supported supermarkets were “necessary, feasible and implementable.”
Chicago would not need to staff or manage the stores — that could be done by a private operator, researchers said.
The city was “well positioned” to launch the plan because it owned land and had access to financing, they said.
Still, they added, it will be tough. Grocery stores operate on razor-thin profit margins and are struggling to stay in business.
Only two municipalities in the United States have taken such a step: St. Paul, Kansas, and Baldwin, Florida, they said.
Critics have compared Chicago’s supermarket plan to the queues for bread outside state-run stores in Soviet Russia.
Plans to restart the site of an Aldi that closed in 2021 have yet to materialise
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to open city-owned grocery stores as he battles criticism over his poor record after just 15 months in office
None of them are on the scale of Chicago, with its population of 2.7 million.
A 10,000-square-foot store built by a private operator would cost $8.1 million up front, with $2.7 million coming from the city, researchers said.
He would also need an annual subsidy of $110,000.
They also discussed the benefits of opening a “three-store network” that would allow for larger purchases and lower operating costs.
Chicago policy chief S. Mayumi “Umi” Grigsby said officials are serious about the project and may tap into a $20 million state grocery plan to fund it.
“Public options can increase access, affordability and services in areas where government really should step in and lead the way,” Grigsby told the Chicago Tribune.
Still, Chicago’s track record of opening supermarkets in struggling neighborhoods has been poor.
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel brought Whole Foods to Englewood with the help of $10.7 million in city funding, but the store closed after six years.
Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration attempted to purchase the site of a West Garfield Park Aldi that closed in 2021. The site remains undeveloped.
Similar city projects to support supermarket operators Yellow Banana and Save-A-Lot have also struggled to get off the ground.
Meanwhile, Mayor Johnson is fighting claims that his 15-month-old administration is faltering amid shelved tax plans, an immigration crisis and budget problems.
The Immigration Reform Law Institute, a conservative watchdog, this week called Johnson the “worst sanctuary mayor” in the country.
The group accused Johnson of wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on immigrants while his own voters languish in poverty.
His office did not respond to The Mail’s requests for comment.