Who's running for what....

This is the first day petitions can circulate for the June primary (and the weather is better than we'd dared hope -- especially after the ice storm last weekend). Stick around, though, it's going to get much, much worse.

Anyway, with petitions out, there's no longer any mystery surrounding the vacancy sought by each endorsed Cook County candidate.

Here are the vacancies, paired with the name of that person endorsed by the Cook County Democratic Party for each vacancy:

• Brennan vacancy: Howard B. Brookins, Jr.


• Canon vacancy: Diana López


• Hyman vacancy: Thomas E. Nowinski


• Ingram vacancy: Yolanda Harris Sayre


• Leeming vacancy: Rena Marie Van Tine


• Lynch vacancy: Michael Weaver


• McGury vacancy: Ruth Isabel Gudino


• O'Brien vacancy: Araceli Reyes De La Cruz


• Sullivan vacancy: Thomas More Donnelly

These folks are linked together now, on a single petition.

Others vying for these positions are not limited in terms of the vacancies for which they can circulate. John Smith can circulate separate petitions for each and every one of these countywide vacancies, although he might get beaten up if he tries (you want me to sign how many sheets of paper?), but, even if he emerges unscathed, with nine sets of ready-to-file petitions, he can only actually file one.

Not like the old days, when John Smith could file for every vacancy and then had a little time, after sizing up the competition in each race, to withdraw from all but one. That's no longer permitted.

Even so, there's a certain amount of gamesmanship that is likely to be involved in the circulation of petitions. We'll watch together.