Karen Lewis’ health scare puts mayoral contest in flux

What’s that old saying? Men make plans, and God laughs.

It would apply to women, too, of course, even strong-willed teachers union presidents gearing up for a campaign for mayor.

CTU President Karen Lewis’ hospitalization for as-yet unspecified health concerns continued to reverberate Tuesday through the local political scene as the status of the leading would-be challenger suddenly became uncertain.

A statement Tuesday from a union spokeswoman that Lewis is “not well” was not very reassuring.

That went with an initial disclosure that Lewis went to the hospital Sunday after “experiencing discomfort,” was resting comfortably and hadn’t suffered a stroke.

It certainly did nothing to slow speculation about how this could reorder the 2015 landscape if Lewis rethinks her plans.

I certainly hope Lewis’ health problems don’t portend the end of her mayoral run.

Chicago could use a competitive mayor’s race, no matter who wins, to air out the issues. Lewis currently is best positioned to provide such a contest, at least among those who have shown an interest.

The mere threat of a serious challenge already seems to have caused the current occupant to listen a little more closely to what the public thinks, and a real campaign might have even more of salutary effect in that regard.

Although Lewis has yet to officially declare her candidacy, all signs have certainly been pointing toward her making the race.

She’s been out there campaigning and seems to enjoy putting herself before the public, along with the give and take that comes with it. Whether she makes a good candidate is a more complex question, and we’ll withhold judgment on that for now.

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