New York, before you fall head over heels for Zohran Mamdani and his shiny socialist pitch, do yourself a favor: look at Chicago.

We elected Brandon Johnson in 2023 on a similar wave of progressive hype — a former teacher and union man who promised equity, reinvestment, and a new kind of leadership. Two years later, we’re staring down a $1.1 billion budget hole, broken promises, and now, a grocery tax that won’t die.

Johnson’s newest trick? Keeping a tax the state decided to kill. The 1% grocery tax was set to end in 2026 — but Johnson wants to keep it going in Chicago. He claims it’s not a “new tax,” just a continuation. But at the end of the day, you’re still paying more for eggs, bread, and milk. Call it what it is: a lazy, regressive tax that hits working families hardest.

What happened to the progressive vision? It collapsed under real responsibility. Johnson couldn’t pass a $300 million property tax hike last year — even his allies bailed. Now he’s quietly pushing this food tax to plug the gap. No structural fix, no bold plan — just another reach into your wallet.

And right on cue, the Chicago Tribune finally pipes up — not to hold Johnson accountable for what he’s doing here, but to issue a warning to New York. In a Monday editorial, they compared Mamdani to Johnson and called Johnson’s tenure a failure. They’re not wrong. But where was that backbone when Johnson was ramming through half-baked budget ideas? Where was that fire when residents were begging for transparency and accountability?

Chicago didn’t need a warning for another city. We needed real scrutiny from our own press before this administration started taxing groceries in a city with food deserts.

Now Johnson’s on defense, trying to spin this as budget necessity — while neighborhoods like West Garfield Park can’t even keep a grocery store open.

So to New York: elect Mamdani if you want. Just know we tried the feel-good version of democratic socialism, and now we’re paying for it — literally, at the checkout line.