Progressive Mayor’s $30K Makeup Bill Unveiled

(DailyVantage.com) – Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson released information about his various expenses during his first term, including a makeup bill totaling $30,000.

Johnson spent the $30,000, which he obtained from his campaign fund’s supporters, on various appearance-related expenses. Johnson paid the majority of the $30,000 to Denise Milloy, a Chicago-based makeup artist who specializes in skincare. Johnson also spent $4,000 on various barber appointments. Throughout 2023, Johnson paid Milloy more than 30 different times.

Shortly after media outlets began reporting Johnson’s makeup and hair expenses, the mayor’s team quickly released a statement to assure Chicago citizens about the expenditures. Johnson’s staff said the mayor did not use taxpayer money for cosmetic appointments. Instead, Johnson used money donated to the Friends of Brandon Johnson, his campaign fund. While Johnson’s frequent payments to Milloy for makeup and skincare treatments prompted renewed criticism against the Chicago, some political experts have cited the expenditure categorizations as another cause for concern.

During his initial campaign, Johnson labeled the various payments to Milloy as television makeup expenses. Following his victory over Chicago’s former mayor, Lori Lightfoot, Johnson continued paying Milloy but re-labeled the makeup and skincare expenses as generic campaign expenditures. Johnson’s campaign adviser, Bill Neidhardt, quickly addressed the expense reports with a written address published in the Chicago Sun-Times.

According to Neidhardt, Johnson didn’t spend taxpayer money on his appearance. Instead, Neidhardt claims Johnson used money donated to his campaign by his supporters to maintain a professional appearance while he operated as Chicago’s mayor. Neidhardt failed to acknowledge if Johnson paid for anyone else’s makeup or hair expenses with the campaign funds, which would likely violate Federal Election Commission Guidelines. Neidhardt defended Johnson’s actions by claiming he had to maintain his appearance at all times and that he chose to support minority-owned businesses.

Despite Neidhardt’s adamant defense of Johnson’s campaign expenditures, political experts have criticized Johnson for spending far more than other mayors during his first year in office. Compared to Johnson’s $30,000, Lightfoot only paid $2,000 for makeup-related expenses throughout 2022. Johnson also outspent J.B. Pritzker, Illinois’s governor, on hair and makeup expenses. Pritzker only spent $6,000 on cosmetics over four years, causing some citizens to speculate that Johnson had misused campaign funds.

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