Will Paul Vallas challenge Rahm?
Illinois Paul Vallas
What if  Paul Vallas  runs for mayor of Chicago?
 Vallas  should have run for mayor long ago.  He  should have been elected governor but narrowly lost to the Democratic machineâs choice  Rod Blagojevich  in the 2002 primary. Rod promised  Illinois  he would be a paragon of virtue  and the party hacks sold Blago as a reformer. Roland Burris got into the Democratic primary  pulled black votes away from  Vallas  and later  as a reward  was Blagoâs hand-picked choice to become senator.
So how did that reform work out for Chicago and  Illinois ?
In the years since   Vallas  has spent much of  his  time working to improve public education  particularly for minorities  and spent years working in tough school systems  from Chicago to Philadelphia  in Bridgeport  Conn.  and New Orleans.  He  also spent much time working in Haiti.
Most recently   he âs been chief administrative officer at Chicago State University  put there by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner even though  Vallas  ran as Democrat Pat Quinnâs running mate in the 2014 election.
 Vallas  has recently established residency in Chicago  the city where  he  was born and raised  his  children.  He  and  his  wife  the parents of cops  are empty nesters now and are leaving the southwest suburbs.  He  just signed a lease in Lincoln Park   Vallas  confirmed to me Tuesday.
Establishing residence isnât just about moving into the city. Itâs about planting a flag  setting a marker  and itâs already being whispered about in political circles  with  Vallas â strengths and weaknesses discussed  all of it laid out against the backdrop of the race for governor.
So I called  Vallas  to ask about  his  move back to Chicago and what it means for the 2019 mayoral race. Though  he  confirmed  his  new residency â and said  he  changed  his  drivers license to reflect  his  new Chicago address â  he  said  he  hasnât yet moved in. Thatâll take a week or so.
Is  he  in? Is  he  out?  Vallas  said  he  didnât want to talk about that. Yet.
OK  I told  him   so Iâll talk about it.
And  as you read this  Iâd assume  he âll send out  his  spinners to drop oppo research against  Vallas  in the news.  He âs got to kill  him  off now  because  he  canât handle  Paul Vallas  in a race for mayor.
What if  Paul Vallas  runs for mayor of Chicago?
 Vallas  should have run for mayor long ago.  He  should have been elected governor but narrowly lost to the Democratic machineâs choice  Rod Blagojevich  in the 2002 primary. Rod promised  Illinois  he would be a paragon of virtue  and the party hacks sold Blago as a reformer. Roland Burris got into the Democratic primary  pulled black votes away from  Vallas  and later  as a reward  was Blagoâs hand-picked choice to become senator.
So how did that reform work out for Chicago and  Illinois ?
In the years since   Vallas  has spent much of  his  time working to improve public education  particularly for minorities  and spent years working in tough school systems  from Chicago to Philadelphia  in Bridgeport  Conn.  and New Orleans.  He  also spent much time working in Haiti.
Most recently   he âs been chief administrative officer at Chicago State University  put there by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner even though  Vallas  ran as Democrat Pat Quinnâs running mate in the 2014 election.
 Vallas  has recently established residency in Chicago  the city where  he  was born and raised  his  children.  He  and  his  wife  the parents of cops  are empty nesters now and are leaving the southwest suburbs.  He  just signed a lease in Lincoln Park   Vallas  confirmed to me Tuesday.
Establishing residence isnât just about moving into the city. Itâs about planting a flag  setting a marker  and itâs already being whispered about in political circles  with  Vallas â strengths and weaknesses discussed  all of it laid out against the backdrop of the race for governor.
So I called  Vallas  to ask about  his  move back to Chicago and what it means for the 2019 mayoral race. Though  he  confirmed  his  new residency â and said  he  changed  his  drivers license to reflect  his  new Chicago address â  he  said  he  hasnât yet moved in. Thatâll take a week or so.
Is  he  in? Is  he  out?  Vallas  said  he  didnât want to talk about that. Yet.
OK  I told  him   so Iâll talk about it.
And  as you read this  Iâd assume  he âll send out  his  spinners to drop oppo research against  Vallas  in the news.  He âs got to kill  him  off now  because  he  canât handle  Paul Vallas  in a race for mayor.