Topspin Ra Joy, the lieutenant governor candidate on Chris Kennedy's unsuccessful Democratic ticket, said he will decide by the end of the week whether to join the large field running for mayor. Joy said he wants to see a change from two-term Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "This is an opportunity for us to decide as Chicagoans: Are we going to be subjects or are we going to be citizens and I want to go about the business of encouraging the art of civic engagement," Joy, an African-American who previously served as executive director of Change Illinois, said on WGN AM-720. "I'm eager to build a movement in this city that's multiracial, multigenerational, multiethnic, a true rainbow coalition that's fighting for civic and social change. And I want to get more people involved in civic life," he said. Joy said he has talked with some of the other mayoral candidates and others "who are about to declare." He said he would prefer to find a contender to support. "I'm really looking for a candidate who has the right values, someone who has the right vision, someone who can unite Chicagoans because I think that's the big issue facing our city," he said. Joy also said he has been making the case that Kennedy, who voted from his home in suburban Kenilworth, "has been essentially keeping residence in the city of Chicago since January." But Joy acknowledged he was "still looking" personally at running. "I think by the end of this week I will have made a decision about how I plan to participate in the municipal election," he said. (Rick Pearson) What's on tap *Mayor Rahm Emanuel will break ground on a section of the Lakefront trail. *Gov. Bruce Rauner will have a Lawndale news conference to announce a health initiative. *The City Council's Housing Committee will consider a proposal about what condo boards can do with owners' personal information. *The Illinois House will have a committee hearing about the Equal Rights Amendment at the Bilandic Building downtown. (More on that below.) *The week ahead: On Tuesday, the state House and Senate start their session for the week. On Friday, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan will be in Chicago to headline the Kemp Forum. From the notebook *Former alderman Frost dies: Former Ald. Wilson Frost has died, Emanuel's office announced over the weekend. Frost served about 20 years and became chairman of the City Council's powerful Finance Committee. Frost was the Council's pro tem in 1976 when longtime Mayor Richard J. Daley died. Because of his role, Frost announced he would assume the role of mayor, but he was met with resistance from those loyal to Daley. In the end, in a deal that installed Ald. Michael Bilandic as mayor, Frost became Finance Committee chairman. "His legacy endures through the generation of political and community leaders he mentored and inspired," Emanuel said in a statement. "Our prayers are with his family and friends on this difficult day." *Equal Rights Amendment not ready yet: Several women's rights advocates are scheduled to testify before a House committee Monday as lawmakers look to rally support for Illinois ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment. The hearing is a part of a renewed push to get a federal guarantee that rights can't be denied because of a person's sex. Supporters are banking on momentum from the #MeToo movement as the way women are treated continues to be part of the national conversation. State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, said he is still working to get enough support in the House, where he needs 71 votes to win approval for the federal constitutional amendment. That means he'll need both Democrats and Republicans to support it. Lang said some on the Republican side "haven't committed one way or the other" and attributed that to "people on the far right," referring to some opposing groups that contend the Equal Rights Amendment would enshrine abortion in the U.S. Constitution and undermine religious freedoms. "It has nothing whatsoever to do with abortion, it has nothing whatsoever to do with gay rights or bathrooms or football scholarships or the draft or anything else that those folks are peddling," Lang said. "It has to do with giving women equal rights under the United States Constitution. That's all it's about." The federal government set a 1982 deadline for states to pass the amendment. It came up three states short, but advocates contend Congress can extend the deadline if enough states wind up approving it. Illinois lawmakers have unsuccessfully attempted to pass the amendment over the decades, but it's never gotten out of both chambers in the same year. The state Senate cleared it last month by a vote of 43-12. Lang said he thinks the amendment will get a vote "in the next couple of weeks." (Bill Lukitsch) *Cullerton says Rauner should call Trump on Quincy: The Democratic chairman of the state Senate's Veterans Affairs committee said Republican Gov. Rauner needs to "suck it up" and call President Donald Trump to ask for federal money to help rebuild the Quincy Veterans Home. State Sen. Tom Cullerton of Villa Park said lawmakers will look to include the $245 million recommended by a Rauner task force to rebuild the post-Civil War veterans home that has been the source of Legionnaire's disease outbreaks since 2015 that left 13 dead and dozens ill. But he said a majority of the money should come from the federal government. "We are going to move forward with that and we're going to do everything we can to get all the money that is necessary. But again, figure that $85 to $86 million of that proposal will come from state resources. But $160 million has to come from the federal government through the Veterans Administration there (in Washington)," Cullerton said Sunday on WGN AM-720. "And that is why we need the governor to make the phone call. He needs to call the president and get that money," he said. "Now, I don't think he will. He's avoided the president at every opportunity he can. So the fact is, he needs to suck it up and go talk to the president and say, 'This is expedited, this is necessary, this is needed.'" Rauner famously has avoided as often as possible any mention of Trump in Illinois — something that has riled elements of the GOP's conservative wing. Some Republicans already have asked Rauner to get in touch with Trump about Quincy. (Rick Pearson) *GOP Rep. Wehrli wants a Con-Con: Republican state Rep. Grant Wehrli of Naperville said if Democrats want a state constitutional amendment for a graduated income tax in Illinois, the whole document should be opened up through a constitutional convention. "The soonest we could put (a graduated income tax amendment) on the ballot is 2020 and let's put it to the voters and see what happens," said Wehrli, who has joined Republican opposition to replace the state's constitutionally mandated flat income tax. "But if we're going to do that, if we're going to open up the constitution, let's open it all up. So let's talk about the pension protection clause. Let's look at the entire constitution and not just cherry-pick things that are politically expedient for some," he said on WGN AM-720. Asked if he would support a constitutional convention, Wehrli said: "I wouldn't be opposed to that. Let's look at it all. Let's put everything on the table and decide what is best to move our state forward." Under the 1970 Illinois Constitution, voters are asked every 20 years if they want to have a constitutional convention. Voters in 2008 rejected a Con-Con by 2-to-1, despite a push by then-Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. The effort was opposed by both organized labor and the state's business organizations. Wehrli is one of five Republican lawmakers who co-sponsored a House resolution calling for a constitutional convention, but the legislation aimed at the November 2018 ballot was never considered by lawmakers. While Wehrli mentioned wanting to get rid of a provision of the current constitution that bars public pensions from being diminished or impaired, he also acknowledged such a move wouldn't affect current public employees. "I agree it would be on a prospective basis only, but that is still a tool in the toolbox that we don't currently have," he said. (Rick Pearson) *Quick spin: State Rep. Jeanne Ives on Sunday endorsed Lake County GOP leader Mark Shaw to be the Illinois Republican Party's next chairman. Much of the state's GOP establishment including Gov. Rauner backs Cook County Commissioner Tim Schneider to keep the gig. They vote May 19. *On the "Sunday Spin": Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson's guests were Joy, Wehrli and Cullerton. The "Sunday Spin" airs from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on WGN AM-720. Listen to the full show here. What we're writing *Wilson Frost, "giant" of Chicago City Council and prominent African-American politician, dies. *Daughter of U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez explores City Council run against Emanuel ally. *Former veteran federal prosecutor to return as top deputy to U.S. Attorney John Lausch. *Two years after Chicago passed a home-sharing law, only Airbnb has a license, and hosts say rules are too complicated. *Cameras on city trucks scanning license plates for stolen cars. *Dockless bike companies protest Chicago's lock rule: "No other city has required this." *Ex-Hebron mayor, 71, scheduled to go on trial Monday on gun, drug charges. What we're reading *Illinois counties declare "sanctuary" status for gun owners. *Bug-bite diseases are on the rise nationwide: What to watch out for in Illinois. *Tom Ricketts looks to stamp "family's legacy" on Wrigley Field and neighborhood. Follow the money *Emanuel reported another $453,300 in contributions, including $150,000 from Lettuce Entertain You founder Richard Melman. *Republican Darlene Senger reported a $17,000 contribution from the state Republican Party to her campaign for state comptroller. *Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here. Beyond Chicago *Giuliani says Mueller doesn't have to comply with Trump subpoena. *How Cohen built an empire. *White House preps to back CIA pick ahead of confirmation hearings. *Damage from Hawaii volcano increases. | 
