Mayor Richard J. Daley heads down a Chicago City Hall corridor for his office on April 5, 1972, accompanied by his son and future mayor, Richard M. Daley.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signs executive orders regarding labor relations, immigration, youth employment and public safety on his first afternoon in office at City Hall on May 15, 2023.

In an interview last week at his transition office along the Chicago River, Mr. Johnson said he was cleareyed about the scope of the challenges awaiting him but confident about the city’s ...