Mayor Brandon Johnson’s business affairs chief is stepping down, the latest exit from the mayor’s cabinet.
Ivan Capifali, the commissioner of the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, confirmed his retirement on Monday via a news release from the mayor’s office following inquiries from the Tribune. The City Hall veteran assumed the role in March 2025 after his predecessor, Kenneth Meyer, retired.
“After more than three decades of dedicated service to the City of Chicago, I am closing one chapter of my career and beginning another,” Capifali said in a statement. “I am leaving public service with a deep understanding of the people, businesses, and communities that make our city thrive. As BACP Commissioner, I have had the opportunity to engage with the small business community, and I am inspired to apply that experience in a new way.”
He added he will now head into the private sector as an entrepreneur.
“Throughout his service to the people of Chicago, Commissioner Capifali has brought his expertise, leadership, and deep commitment to every position he has held,” Johnson said in a statement. “I am grateful for his service and for the innumerable contributions he has made to our administration and to Chicago’s business community.
The crucial department is in charge of business oversight, including issuing licenses and conducting inspections. Recently, Capifali helped guide the Johnson administration through a tiff with aldermen who legalized video gambling terminals over the mayor’s objections. The 2026 budget passed by Johnson’s political rivals relies on the advent of those machines to plug in $6.8 million, but Bally’s Casino has complained their proliferation would violate its agreement with the city.
Capifali also helped administer the city’s regulation of hemp products under Johnson, who vetoed an ordinance that would outright ban those sales. Before ascending the ladder at Business Affairs, Capifali did stints at the Department of Environment and the Chicago Commission on Animal Care and Control.
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Also Monday, Chicago Board of Ethics Executive Director Steve Berlin retired after 33 years serving in the body tasked with making sure officials and employees are practicing good government. The latest departures from City Hall follow Johnson’s budget director, Annette Guzman, and acting CFO Steve Mahr stepping down this summer.
Leaving earlier this year were the heads of the Departments of Human Resources, Sandra Blakemore; Fleet and Facility Management, Julia Hernandez-Tomlin; and Public Health, Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige.