Opinion: 150 Cops, $36K in Makeup, and Zero Outrage: Guess Which Mayor America Decided to Ignore
America's Most Expensive Mayor: Brandon Johnson
Let’s talk about a fascinating case study in selective outrage, shall we?
You remember Tiffany Henyard, right? The former “supermayor” of Dolton, Illinois—a village of about 20,000 people—who got absolutely roasted by every news outlet from Fox to ABC for her lavish spending habits. Her security detail, which reportedly cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands (potentially over a million dollars across her term), became a national scandal. The woman couldn’t breathe without a investigative report chronicling her every move, her every security officer, her every taxpayer-funded trip.
The FBI investigated. Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot was brought in to audit her. She faced 40 lawsuits. She was dubbed “America’s worst mayor.” And yes, much of the criticism was warranted—the spending was genuinely problematic, the lack of transparency was real.
But here’s where it gets interesting.
Enter Brandon Johnson: Chicago’s Teflon Mayor
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson—you know, the guy running a city of 2.7 million people with actual big-city problems—has a security detail of approximately 100-150 police officers assigned to Unit 544. Let me repeat that: One. Hundred. To. One. Hundred. Fifty. Officers.
Meanwhile, he’s removed police from Chicago Public Schools, eliminated 456 police vacancies, canceled police academy training classes, and his 2025 budget proposes cutting even more police positions. But hey, his security? That’s staying fully staffed, thank you very much.
Oh, and about that grooming budget? Johnson’s campaign has spent over $36,000 on hair and makeup since 2023. That’s $30,000+ in just the first year alone. His makeup artist, paid through campaign funds, has received more than 30 payments. There was even a delightful incident where his campaign accidentally listed a $4,000 payment to a salon that never received the money and had never worked with him. Oops.
For comparison, his predecessor Lori Lightfoot spent $8,000 on similar services. His opponent Paul Vallas—who is bald, mind you—spent essentially nothing beyond generic “services.”
So Where’s the Outrage?
Here’s what we find absolutely fascinating: Where are the investigative reports? Where are the breathless Fox News segments? Where’s the national handwringing about taxpayer dollars funding a security apparatus that would make a small nation’s secret service jealous?
Tiffany Henyard got dragged for spending village funds on a security detail for a town of 20,000. Brandon Johnson has a security force larger than many small-town police departments total, while simultaneously cutting police protection for Chicago’s schoolchildren and neighborhoods. He’s spending more on his face than most Chicagoans spend on rent, and the response has been... crickets.
Sure, there were some local reports back in June 2024 about the grooming expenses. Johnson’s spokesman dutifully explained that “he’s mayor 24-7” and “appearances matter” and that he’s “supporting Black and women-owned businesses.” (Though interestingly, when pressed about which other “individuals associated with the campaign” were also getting their hair and makeup done with campaign funds, that detail remained conspicuously classified.)
But where’s the sustained coverage? Where’s the moral panic? Where’s the nickname like “America’s Most Expensive Mayor”?
Let’s Call It What It Is
A Black woman running a small suburb gets pilloried nationally for having a security detail and spending taxpayer money on events and travel. A Black man running Chicago has a security force that could invade a small country, spends tens of thousands on grooming, travels with seven people (including four security officers) to Los Angeles for the Grammys while crises rage at home, and the media coverage is... polite. Muted. Local at best.
Henyard’s spending was documented, investigated, and weaponized. Every receipt was scrutinized. Every officer assigned to her detail was counted. The outrage machine ran 24/7.
Johnson’s security detail numbers are hard to even pin down definitively because—surprise—transparency isn’t exactly a priority. When asked directly about whether he’d be willing to reallocate some of those 150 sworn officers back to street patrol, he pivoted to talking about “working collectively” and “youth employment” and “mental healthcare services.”
The Double Standard Is the Story
Look, both situations deserve scrutiny. Public officials should be held accountable for how they spend taxpayer and campaign funds. Security details should be justified and proportionate. Transparency matters.
But the wildly different levels of outrage, investigation, and media coverage tell us something important about who gets grace and who gets the gallows. Tiffany Henyard—a Black woman in a small town—became a national punching bag. Brandon Johnson—a Black man in a major city—gets to be “mayor 24-7” with a private army and a glam squad, and most of America has no idea.
If we’re going to have standards, let’s at least apply them standardly.
Otherwise, spare me the performative outrage about fiscal responsibility. We all know what this is really about.
Sources
Brandon Johnson’s Grooming Expenses:
Chicago Sun-Times: “Mayor’s grooming bill grows: Johnson’s campaign spends another $8,200 on makeup artist” (July 15, 2024)
Chicago Sun-Times: “Brandon Johnson spent $30,000 on hair, makeup in a year from Chicago mayoral campaign fund” (June 14, 2024)
NBC Chicago: “Johnson campaign’s use of funds on hair, makeup raises questions” (June 11, 2024)
Washington Examiner: “Brandon Johnson spent $30,000 of campaign funds on personal grooming” (June 11, 2024)
Brandon Johnson’s Security Detail:
Chicago Tribune: “Dylan Sharkey: Chicago mayor cuts cops for residents while nearly 100 officers protect him” (December 10, 2024)
NBC Chicago: “Newly obtained records shed light on cost of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s trip to Los Angeles” (February 22, 2024)
Tiffany Henyard Coverage:
Fox 32 Chicago: “Investigative report reveals Dolton residents are shelling out big bucks for mayor’s security detail” (September 21, 2023)
Illinois Leaks: “Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s $Million Security Detail” (November 4, 2022)
News Nation: “Dolton mayor Tiffany Henyard dubbed ‘America’s worst mayor’” (October 22, 2024)
Chicago Tribune: “Despite lawsuit settlements and drop in security detail, Dolton budget forecasts increased spending” (August 7, 2025)
ABC7 Chicago: “Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard accused of corruption, village trustees approve resolution calling for federal investigation” (February 24, 2024)