Blocked by allies of Mayor Rahm Emanuel from pushing through an reform the city’s use of tax-increment financing, members of the Progressive Caucus blinked on Tuesday, agreeing to try to craft a compromise with members of the administration.

Two mayoral candidates will turn their attention to crime this week, while another made a key hire.

The odds were in mayoral candidate Jerry Joyce’s favor Wednesday, allowing him to snag the pole position on the Feb. 26 ballot. Meanwhile, the Chicago Teachers Union’s House of Delegates tossed the union’s considerable weight behind Toni Preckwinkle in the mayor’s race and Melissa Conyears-Ervin in the treasurer’s race, along with 19 aldermanic hopefuls, on Wednesday.

The leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union will ask delegates to endorse Toni Preckwinkle  in the mayor’s race and Melissa Conyears-Ervin in the treasurer’s race, along with a host of aldermanic hopefuls. Candidates eager to be first — or last — on the Feb. 26 ballot will take their chances at a lottery Wednesday. Meanwhile, none of the ballot questions submitted to elections officials drew objections, meaning all will likely make it on to the ballot — as long as they survive the election board’s scrutiny. Now that the mayoral and aldermanic campaigns are in full swing, TDL brings you the first installment of trail notes with quick hits about all of the races.

The Chicago Board of Ethics issued a ruling Tuesday warning to candidates to keep their campaign material free of Chicago’s seal, while the silly season is officially underway.

City Hall fixture George Blakemore was tackled by a Chicago Police officer at Thursday’s Plan Commission meeting after being admonished not to speak out of turn. Five aldermanic candidates hoping to move the City Council to the left got a boost Thursday at City Hall with the endorsement of Reclaim Chicago, while a bill designed to address the future of the Cook County Board of Commissioners if Toni Preckwinkle becomes mayor advanced Thursday.

Eight days after winning re-election, Comptroller Susana Mendoza will jump into the mayoral race. Out of money and without enough signatures, Troy LaRaviere — one of the first to declare his candidacy for mayor – became one of the first to drop out of the crowded race. The SEIU Illinois State Council backed Jessica Washington Gutierrez in her bid to unseat 30th Ward Ald. Ariel Reboyras, a close ally of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Three competing proposals to hike real estate taxes advanced Tuesday, but they still face an uphill battle.

It may be 118 days until the municipal elections, but two candidates have already fallen afoul of the  Chicago Board of Ethics. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will head to court to take another step toward ending court oversight of hiring, and two groups will rally at City Hall to push their causes.

Aldermen clashed Monday over a measure that would add a 1 percent tax to the sale of any Chicago property worth $750,000 or more to fund an effort to replace lead pipes in Chicago homes that could be polluting water, but took no action.

After weeks of considering it, Ald. Ameya Pawar (47) will launch a bid Monday to replace City Treasurer Kurt Summers. A measure that would hand control of the Chicago Police Department to a board of elected civilians is set for a vote, more than two years after it was first introduced. Early voting continues a a furious pace — but if you want to vote by mail, the deadline to request a ballot is coming up.