Topspin Happy New Year. With many of us slogging back into the office after a week-plus of holiday celebrating, we thought you'd be in the right head space to ponder what the new year could bring in Springfield and at City Hall. Here are 10 storylines to watch in 2018 (numbered to make it easier to read, not necessarily a commentary on news value): 1. Governor's race. This much is known: The contest for Illinois governor almost surely will smash spending records, with billionaire J.B. Pritzker and possible billionaire Bruce Rauner running. For that to happen, both will have to win their respective March 20 primaries. In a Democratic primary, there usually isn't a ton of daylight between the candidates on the issues. So it comes down to money and organization. Pritzker has been on TV for many months now and racked up a string of union and Democratic establishment endorsements that could provide the organizational support. Businessman Chris Kennedy has struggled to raise money, but he did spend some of it on a TV ad featuring his father, the late Robert F. Kennedy. State Sen. Daniel Biss is hoping to catch fire with the Bernie Sanders crowd. Rauner faces a conservative challenger in state Rep. Jeanne Ives. He's likely to vastly outspend her, and so far he hasn't really acknowledged her candidacy. So don't expect many (any?) debates. Still, even if Ives doesn't win, a strong showing will further weaken Rauner, who's already viewed as politically vulnerable. 2. Attorney general's race. We didn't expect to be focusing on this contest until the fall general election. Then, four-term Attorney General Lisa Madigan shocked the Illinois political world by announcing she wouldn't run again. Now there are eight Democrats running, meaning the winner might not even have to collect 25 percent of the primary vote. On the Republican side, former congressional candidate Erika Harold could get a pass in the primary if DuPage County Board member Gary Grasso fails to survive a petition challenge. 3. Illinois congressional races. Who will succeed U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez in representing the 4th District? The crowded field includes three Chicago aldermen and the head of a Logan Square nonprofit group that serves youth and families confronting homelessness. Veteran Rep. Dan Lipinski, considered conservative for a Democrat, is trying to beat back a challenge from the Democratic Party's progressive wing in Marie Newman. Elsewhere, suburban Republican U.S. Reps. Peter Roskam of Wheaton and Randy Hultgren of Plano are waiting to see who emerges from packed Democratic fields. 4. Cook County assessor's race. It's a fight for political survival for Assessor Joe Berrios, whose job performance has come under intense scrutiny from a Chicago Tribune series examining property assessments. He's drawn a well-funded opponent in Oak Park asset manager Fritz Kaegi, while another challenger, Andrea Raila, faces a ballot challenge. 5. Amazon HQ2. Will Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Rauner get to claim a huge jobs prize as they run for re-election? They've only got to beat the applications from almost everywhere else. So you're telling me there's a chance? 6. Legislative inspector general and the #MeToo movement. The General Assembly's recently appointed watchdog has 10 backlogged ethics complaints and an undisclosed number of new ones she's diving into. So far, though, there hasn't been a wave of public complaints about sexual harassment among state lawmakers after some women in government and politics started a Facebook group to discuss the #MeToo movement in Illinois. Only one victims' rights advocate came forward publicly to complain about a state senator, and that took place at a legislative hearing. Sen. Ira Silverstein now faces primary challengers in his Far North Side district — if he can remain on the ballot. 7. 2019 Chicago mayor's race. Will Mayor Emanuel get a top-flight challenger as he seeks a third term? Former Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy's name keeps popping up, but there's a difference between showing up as a boldfaced name and actually running for office. We took a look at the potential challengers here (pre-"Chuy" Garcia congressional run) and talked to the mayor himself here. 8. Mayor Emanuel-Attorney General Madigan negotiations on police reforms. Madigan is suing City Hall to force a consent decree on Chicago Police Department reforms. What will come out of the closed-door negotiations? Will her lame-duck status hurt her leverage? 9. Tax-free year at City Hall? Emanuel has raised taxes and fees in six of his seven budgets. All 50 City Council seats and the mayor's office are on the February 2019 Chicago ballot, so Emanuel could look to spare aldermen from having to vote for more tax hikes ahead of an election. The mayor usually unveils his budget in the fall. 10. Rauner vs. the unions. As 2017 wound to a close, Gov. Rauner talked about how he thinks a second term would be different, and key to his strategy is winning court battles against unions. There's an expected U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June on an Illinois case challenging the requirement that public union members pay "fair share" dues even if they disagree with union membership. Rauner also is looking for the courts to reverse rulings that prohibited Illinois municipalities and counties from enacting their own right-to-work ordinances. And he's in court trying to impose his final contract offer on the largest state employee union. What's on tap *Mayor Emanuel has no public events scheduled. *Gov. Rauner has no public events scheduled. *The Week ahead: On Thursday, an Illinois House committee meets to talk about Medicaid. From the notebook *Another Rauner staff change: Minutes before 5 p.m. on the final weekday of the year, the Rauner administration announced there will be a new state budget director. Starting Jan. 15, Hans Zigmund replaces Scott Harry as leader of the Governor's Office of Management and Budget. Zigmund has held a couple of jobs in the budget office before, as well as serving as an economist in the Illinois Department of Revenue. "I am grateful for Scott's service," Rauner said in a statement. "He's done a tremendous job in difficult circumstances." Also out of the administration: Former Naperville Republican Rep. Darlene Senger, who is leaving a post in Rauner's office as she runs for state comptroller. *The "Sunday Spin:" On this week's show, Chicago Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson's guests were Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, state Sen. Tom Cullerton, the Better Government Association's Bob Secter and the University of Illinois' Chris Mooney. The "Sunday Spin" airs from 7 to 9 a.m. on WGN-AM 720. Listen to the full show here. What we're writing (What you missed over the break edition)
*Top 10 Illinois political stories of 2017. *Top 10 Chicago political stories of 2017. *2018 to be another rough year for Chicago taxpayers. *More than 200 new Illinois laws took effect with the new year. *Chicago police watchdog rules 2015 shooting of Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones was unjustified. *Emanuel's average income is $365,000 per year, 6 years of mayor's tax returns show.
*Chicago's homicide total drops by over 100, but violence still "intolerably high." *Property taxpayers in Chicago area scramble to pay bills before rules change. *EPA probes pollution from scrap yard near potential Amazon HQ2 site in gentrifying Clybourn Corridor. *Part 3 of the Tribune's The Water Drain series looks at towns that look to companies to manage water systems. *Former Chicagoan oversees the Library of Congress, the "ultimate treasure chest." *Cook County sues pharmaceutical companies over opioid epidemic. *Environmental group, homeowners sue Illinois Tollway over proposed Route 53 extension into Lake County. *Some customers report still being charged for soda tax after its repeal. What we're reading *Billy Goat Tavern on Michigan Avenue closing, but not for long. *Anti-gambling crusader who shut down raffles wins $25,000 in gaming parlor sweepstakes. *More Chicago gangs arming themselves with rifles as alliances spread conflict. Follow the money *Last week, Democratic candidate for attorney general state Rep. Scott Drury reported giving his campaign $170,000, a move that eliminates contribution limits for all candidates. Another candidate, Aaron Goldstein, put in $135,000 of his own money. *Candidates' final quarterly finance reports are starting to trickle in here. *Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here. Beyond Chicago *Blue states respond to Republican tax overhaul. *Kim Jong Un says he has a nuclear button on his desk. *Pot becomes legal in California. *Protests in Iran continue. | 
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