Rahm on Time cover: "Chicago Bull;" Rutherford to enter GOP gov race; Sneaky IL gas taxes: Your Reboot Illinois Daily Tip-Off

COVER BOY He’s at war with teachers in a city plagued by gun violence in a state wracked by financial woes. Yet Rahm Emanuel loves being mayor of Chicago. He’s the “Chicago Bull” of Time’s cover this week. Is he “Mayor 1 percent” or is he the man to bring Chicago out of these tough times? We sum it up. ________________________________________ CAMPAIGN 2014: RUTHERFORD IN Even before he was elected state treasurer in 2010, Dan Rutherford was rumored to have his eyes on the governor's office. He's expected to make it official this weekend when he becomes the second candidate vying for the 2014 Republican candidacy, joining Chicago businessman Bruce Rauner. Details here. ________________________________________ LOOKING FOR LEADERSHIP Whoever becomes the Republican candidate for governor in 2014, he or she will need help from a strong party structure -- especially in getting out the suburban vote. Republican leaders this weekend will select their new leader. See who's in the running and what they're about in our new infographic. ________________________________________ POWER BACK TO THE PEOPLE Last night we joined the CHANGE Illinois! coalition to kick off what promises to be a grueling campaign to enact the mother of all political reforms: taking the politicians out of the political map-drawing business. It'll take 500,000 signatures and a full-on election campaign to get done and we need your help. Here's a rundown of last night's event at Bradley University's Institute For Principled Leadership In Public Service. Go here to learn more about this important effort. ________________________________________ PUMP SHOCK Illinois gas prices are high because we pile a lot of taxes onto fuel. Writes Scott Reeder: "Why do politicians find gas taxes attractive? Because they think you are too dumb to know you are being taxed. The assumption among politicians is that you’ll blame someone other than them for the high prices at the pump." Read the whole piece. ________________________________________ THE NEXT JIM EDGAR? Former legislator and longtime reform activist Jim Nowlan thinks Illinois needs one. He catches up with the former two-term "Gov. No" in his column this week. ________________________________________ DAILY TIP-OFF To the Wall Street Journal today, Illinois is a cautionary tale to the rest of the nation: "A favorite conceit of Democrats is that the U.S. budget and economy would be A okay if congressional Republicans weren't able to obstruct President Obama's agenda. One counter-argument would be the state of Illinois, where one-party Democratic rule has led to a fiscal crisis that's culminating in political paralysis. With less than two days to go before a state budget is due, the Chicago Sun-Times notes the state's woeful record on education funding of late: "Since 2009, the reductions total $861 million, cuts that have led to the loss of 6,400 teachers and aides and 18,000 fewer pre-school slots," says today's editorial. Also in Springfield, Crain's Chicago Business reports that gambling expansion efforts have lost steam, while the Chicago Tribune again urges Gov. Pat Quinn to reject a gambling expansion bill already approved by the Illinois Senate, should the House send it to his desk. In pension news, it's possible the Senate today could change course and vote on three separate pension reform bills that the House approved in March before approving a comprehensive single bill that contained all three. Who knows how this will end up. We may find out between 11:59 p.m. and midnight tomorrow. We have links to these and other Illinois news stories in the Daily Tip-Off section of our website. ________________________________________ Visit our website and make a difference. What are we all about? Find out in our video!