Finally, a viable opponent for Mayor One-Percent?

“I’m a little sick of the mayor and I don’t see anyone stepping up,” Lewis told the Chicago Sun-Times by telephone Thursday evening. “I am seriously thinking about it.”

"Do we want 'Star Wars' museums or public, neighborhood schools? Do we want presidential libraries or librarians for every child?" 

With the polls showing that, like Karen Lewis, most Chicagoans are sick of the mayor, the CTU prez says she is "seriously thinking" about running for mayor in 2015. Why not? The only other potentially viable candidates are being coy or timid. Although she's an underdog given Rahm's massive war chest and backing from national Dem Clinton bigwigs, polls show she can give him a good race.

Karen has the vision, organizational skills, and guts necessary to lead the city forward. She also has the political savvy and political base necessary to win a battle royale, including a standing army of thousands of teachers, parents and community groups ready to go to war for her, register voters and turn them out. She will destroy Rahm in the city's black community. All she's lacking is more registered youth, minority, and women voters and campaign funds, making it put-up or shut-up time for the city's union leadership and progressives if she decides to run.

RAHM'S GIFT TO BILLIONAIRE  LUCAS...While Rahm lays off 1,150 more teachers and school staff, he's more than willing to spend millions on legal fees arising from his "gift" of prime city lakefront property to billionaire Lucas as the case likely goes all the way to the IL Supreme Court. More fodder for Karen's campaign -- as if she needs any more.

Will Guzzardi's successful run against the machine showed it can be done. De Blasio in N.Y. and Baraka in Newark showed up how it can be done. So enough with the sideline hand-wringing and bean counting.  It's time to turn out the troops.