Comment: And when the pensions don’t meet their unrealistic assumptions, taxpayers are on the hook for the difference.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is about to learn a lesson in state political dynamics. If she’s counting on Springfield to help balance her 2020 budget, she’d better have a Plan B. And probably a Plan C. Weeks ago, Lightfoot might not have predicted that her “asks” of Springfield would confront so much resistance. She often has said Chicago is the “economic engine” of the state, warranting the attention of all legislators. But that’s part of the lesson in governing here. Little consideration gets granted in Springfield without the counter question, “What’s in it for me?”

“As the democratic committeeman with the greatest number of weighted votes in the 3rd District and the recognized Chair of the 3rd Representative District Committee, I am calling a meeting of the democratic committeeman for the purpose of filing the vacancy created by my retirement from the Illinois House of Representatives,” his letter reads.