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* Paul Vallas’ residency issue is looked at by the Tribune…

Jack Dorgan, the state Republican chairman, said the GOP will review whether a residency issue exists for Vallas in the normal course of checking petitions. “Obviously it’s an issue with someone who hasn’t lived in the state for a long time,” he said.

Burt Odelson, a veteran election-law attorney who represents the Quinn campaign, said Vallas has significantly more ways to prove he did not give up his Illinois residency than did Rahm Emanuel, who in his successful bid for Chicago mayor survived a residency challenge.

* Professional opinion reaction to Gov. Pat Quinn’s choice of Vallas as a running mate…

* Rich Miller Sun-Times: Vallas won’t just be second fiddle to Quinn …

And while the four Republican candidates for governor mostly settled on unknowns with little political experience but plenty of “diversity” (an Asian-American man and three women, one of whom is a Latina and one with an Hispanic surname), Quinn set aside demographic and immediate political considerations and chose someone who clearly is up to the task of taking the reins of government if something should happen to him. And shouldn’t that be a governor’s first consideration?

But Vallas’ stature and experience come with a very steep price. Vallas is a forceful, polarizing public figure. He’s supremely charming but temperamental to the point of being obnoxious and always confident he’s the smartest guy in the room.

Simon sat quietly in the back seat while Quinn drove the car, jumping out the door when it suited her purposes but silently and politely.

If the past is any guide, Vallas constantly will be leaning over the front seat trying to yank the steering wheel out of Quinn’s hands. Vallas could wind up hurting Quinn, both in the campaign and after the governing resumes.

I don’t see how Quinn is going to keep Vallas on a short leash when nobody has ever managed to do such a thing before in his life.

* Carol Marin: Vallas is a gutsy choice by Quinn…

The governor made a bold and ballsy choice by picking Paul Vallas as his lieutenant governor running mate for 2014. And nobody knows that better than Illinois Republicans.

Like, for instance, GOP candidate Bruce Rauner who, according to a highly informed source, considered recruiting Vallas to be his lieutenant governor. And sought Vallas’ endorsement. […]

[But] Vallas has never played a very good second banana.

* John Kass: Vallas is no second banana…

What surprises me is that Rauner didn’t get Vallas on his side. Vallas had soured on the Democrats after the 2002 campaign, and even considered running as a Republican for the Cook County Board. The two of them — with their knowledge of budgets and finance — would have been formidable. […]

“Yes, Paul has a big personality,” said a source close to Quinn. “We all know that. But Gov. Quinn has a big personality too. They both have their hearts out there. No question there are going to be bumps in the road along the way. But the bottom line is that they get results, and they’re a great team.”

Well, they’re a great lineup for now. Whether they’re a great team won’t be determined until later in the campaign, after they’ve held joint news conferences and shared microphones. It’s a long time until March.

* Chicago Tribune editorial board: Quinn-Vallas ticket: This just got interesting…

This was a gutsy call for Quinn, who was immediately rapped for his choice by the Chicago Teachers Union.

Count us among those who very much like Vallas’ style and substance. He’s impatient with bloated, lethargic bureaucracy. You have to wonder how different things would be had Vallas won the 2002 Democratic primary for governor instead of Rod Blagojevich. Vallas would not have gone along quietly as the General Assembly built its dynasty of debt. […]

[But] It’s difficult to envision Vallas as second-in-command of anything. The lieutenant governor is usually grateful for scraps thrown by the governor, and there are usually few of them.

* From a CTU press release…

Statement by Chicago Teachers Union President Karen GJ Lewis, NBCT on the selection of Paul Vallas as Governor Quinn’s running mate:

“The Chicago Teachers Union has supported Governor Quinn in the past because of his commitment to grassroots organizing, publicly funded public education, and collective bargaining. For these reasons we are concerned about his choice of Paul Vallas as a running mate. His choice takes us in the wrong direction for public education in Chicago and Illinois.

“While he was CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, Vallas pioneered the corporate driven education model in our city. His policies continue to devastate our schools system, which recently suffered 50 school closures, deep, and painful school budget cuts, and the loss of thousands of experienced school staff are key tenets of the Vallas model.

“Vallas ushered in an era of massive expansion of standardized testing; the privatization of public schools through outsourcing and charter school expansion; and the devastating policy of school turnarounds, which resulted in the firing of scores of black and veteran teachers.

“In a 2010 interview with John Merrow on PBS, Paul Vallas appallingly stated that he did not see any downside to charter school proliferation, believed that there was not enough faculty turnover in education, and did not see a need for collective bargaining.

“Just this week in Bridgeport, CT, the school board election results were viewed as a referendum on Vallas’ tenure as an unaccredited district administrator.

“In consideration of this list of concerns, we hope that Vallas will move to support proposals for an elected representative school board in Chicago, and also denounce privatization schemes that have done nothing to increase academic achievement or address the needs of students who need the most in Chicago, Philadelphia, and New Orleans.”