Casino pork unfit for our consumption; Campaign 2014: Cross for attorney general? Young GOP appeal: Please lead! Your Reboot Illinois Daily Tip-Off

GAMBLING WITH A SIDE OF PORK It's not easy passing a gambling expansion bill that gives Chicago its own casino and its own rules for running it, puts slot machines in airports and places a handful of new casinos throughout the state. But $65 million in pork might make it more palatable to reluctant lawmakers. Kudos to Gov. Pat Quinn for keeping the buffet line closed thus far. 

CAMPAIGN 2014 So much about the 2014 state elections hinges on Attorney General Lisa Madigan's decision whether to run for governor. Now comes word that House Republican Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, is being urged to run for attorney general if Madigan vacates her post to seek higher office. That could set up a race between Cross and current Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon. But if Madigan decides to run for reelection the whole scenario falls apart. Details in our ever-growing Campaign 2014 scorecard.

YOUNG REPUBLICAN PERSPECTIVE John Giokaris is political director of the Chicago Young Republicans and doesn't buy the conventional wisdom that Cook County is all-powerful in statewide elections. If the state GOP had a leader who could get out the downstate and suburban vote, the party could be competitive again, he says. But does that leader exist? Giokaris runs the numbers and hopes for a new day for his party in 2014 in his op-ed today.

ENDING THE ILLINOIS INCUMBENT PROTECTION PROGRAM In a democracy, voters should choose their leaders. But in Illinois, it's generally been the politicians who choose their voters by carefully drawing legislative districts to protect their members (and oust troublesome members of the opposing party). If you're an incumbent and your party has the right to draw the map (sometimes this is won by drawing a name in a lottery), you are all but assured 10 years of election security. That's a formula for complacency and corruption. We don't like this system and we've joined the CHANGE Illinois! coalition to get party bosses out of the process. Join us next week at Bradley University to learn more about this initiative. Please sign up here and join us. If you can't be there, go here to learn more about this important effort.

DAILY TIP-OFF The countdown to the June 1 end of the spring legislative session is on and a deadlock remains over pension reform bills backed by House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton. The Chicago Tribune had an editorial board visit from Quinn on Monday in which he criticized Cullerton's bill as "incomplete," but didn't say he'd veto it if it reaches its desk. Quinn also chastised lawmakers for being distracted by "shiny objects" like expanding gambling when they should be focuses solely on the pension crisis.

(You can find out what's in the two pension bills at a glance with our infographic.)

Another deadline arrives tomorrow, as the Chicago School Board votes on a controversial plan that would close 54 Chicago schools. That's the greatest number of school closings in national history. The Chicago Sun-Times asks the board in an editorial to remove 21 schools from the list. "(W)e can’t support closing the wrong schools or closing even the right ones in a way that hurts kids and teachers. Neither can thousands of parents, advocates and educators," says the Sun-Times. The Chicago Tribune, meanwhile, reports that no more than five schools might be spared.

The handling of the school closings and Chicago Public Schools in general is one area in which Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been "lackluster" in his first two years, Chicago hedge fund billionaire and Emanuel supporter Ken Griffin told business leaders Monday night at the Economic Club of Chicago. A Republican who is backing Chicago businessman Bruce Rauner for governor, Griffin criticized Democrats for failing to make tough decisions: “What is politically hard is that the Democratic Party is captive to unions and not captive to children.” We link to coverage from Crain's Chicago Business in our Daily Tip-Off section. (Disclosure: Ken Griffin is the husband of Anne Dias Griffin, Reboot Illinois' founding investor. Ken Griffin is not affiliated with Reboot Illinois.)

Want more details? Find links to those Illinois news stories and others in the Daily Tip-Off section of our website.

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