BRADY IS IN… AGAIN State Sen. Bill Brady lost one of the closest races for governor in history in 2010: He was defeated by fewer than 32,000 votes, or .8 of the total vote statewide. But he lost big in Cook County, by more than 500,000 votes. He will announce Wednesday that he’s back in the race for governor in 2014. He’ll face tougher competition for the GOP nomination this time around. Did he learn from his 2010 mistakes? We dissect it in our 2014 election section. 
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LISA SPECULATION On the Democratic side of the governor’s race, what Attorney General Lisa Madigan will decide is anyone’s guess. Columnist and former State Rep. Jim Nowlan takes one today, and says she won’t run. He also thinks the four-man GOP field will thin itself out long before the primary on March 18, 2014. A great read. It’s here.
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QUINN TALKS TOUGH Gov. Pat Quinn says in an open letter today: “I will veto any legislation that does not erase the pension debt and provide 100 percent funding for the systems. From day one, this fundamental principle has been at the core of every pension reform bill I have backed.” That’s a pretty strong message to backers of a union-supported bill that does neither. Read Quinn’s letter here.
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BUZZ-METER The 2014 field of candidates for governor is still coming together, but the race for social media supremacy already is under way. Check our Buzz-Meter to find out who’s got the edge on Facebook, Twitter and other social media. This was a difference-maker for the Obama campaign last fall. We think it could be the same for governor next year. Check it out!
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OUTRAGE OF THE DAY “Headline: Metra CEO gets at least $442,000 to go away quietly.Headline: 2,000 more state workers make more than $100,000 a year. When will our politicians understand that this is exactly the kind of thing that angers we, the people, and prompts us to consider protesting?” So writes Reboot Illinois Chief Operating Officer Madeleine Doubek on her blog today. You need to read this!
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PUSH YOUR OWN BUTTON! If you’re a state senator or representative, pushing your own voting button when it’s time to cast a vote hardly seems like too much to ask. And it’s the law. But neither of those things matter in a longstanding tradition in the Statehouse, where colleagues often push the button for someone who has stepped away at voting time. That bugs Scott Reeder (and it should bug you as well). Learn more here.
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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY Here’s the news from around the Illinois. For a whole lot more, visit the Daily Tip-Off section of our website (scroll to the bottom of the screen after you click).
• 5. Property taxes for Chicago Public Schools will rise but will remain lower than rates in a majority of the suburbs. (Chicago Tribune)
4. Mayor Emanuel’s new five-year plan for the Chicago Public Schools was dead on arrival. (Chicago Reader)
3. A Chicago cop has been arrested four times…yet he still holds a job making over $80,000 a year. (Chicago Sun-Times)
2. The State Journal-Register takes a look at the state employees who are part of the $100,000 club. (State Journal-Register)
1. Illinois is paying the price for years of neglect on the pension crisis. (NPR)
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