| Happy Friday, Chicago. Thank goodness for the sunshine — we can feel the seasonal depression leaving our bodies. Our lead editorial examines the months-long budget battle between Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez. At stake: a $175 million pension payment for nonteaching CPS employees and other city workers. State law says the city is responsible, but Johnson and his allies want CPS to pick up the tab, suggesting the district refinance its debt to cover the cost. If Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union want schools to contribute, they should work to change the law in Springfield. Our second editorial tackles teen mobs causing chaos downtown. On Sunday, shots rang out among a large group of teens outside AMC River East, injuring a 46-year-old woman visiting with her son. Thankfully, she’s OK. The incident sparked calls for an 8 p.m. curfew. While we understand the frustration, this is a law enforcement issue. We urge the mayor to condemn these mobs and back police efforts to disperse them. Also in Tribune Opinion, former CPS CEO Forrest Claypool details the city’s history of mayoral might, writing that Chicago, once led by strong mayors, now faces deep crises — financial woes, crime, and failing schools and transit — as mayoral power erodes. “While the city is at a crossroads, the job of mayor is shrinking, and with it the likelihood that bold and competent future leadership can lift Chicago from a historic morass,” he writes. Columnist David Griesing examines Chicago’s mass transit system, which is staring down a $770 million budget shortfall that could top $1 billion. “The stakes are high,” he writes. Proposals include a full transit merger or expanded RTA oversight, but neither fully addresses the crisis. And with March Madness approaching, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor Sheldon H. Jacobson warns that the tournament’s “madness” pales in comparison to the explosive growth of online sports gambling, which continues to ravage the country. Plus, don’t miss letters from our readers. — Hilary Gowins, editorial board member Submit an op-ed | Submit a letter to the editor | Meet the Tribune Editorial Board | Subscribe to this newsletter | 
