It's 2022 and the race for the Governor's Mansion is already picking up speed. But right now, there's more intrigue on who could be running rather than who is already in.

Why it matters: While pundits are expecting a nationwide red wave, Illinois is firmly blue, as is incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The intrigue: We asked GOP pundits and consultants in October which names they're keeping tabs on, so let's start out 2022 with a refresher:

Who's out: Rep. Rodney Davis has announced he is not running for governor to instead focus on reelection to congress.

• Rep. Mary Miller announced she will be running against him in the newly drawn 15th district. She has President Trump's endorsement, much to the chagrin of Davis, who co-chaired Trump's Illinois campaign in 2020.

Who's on the fence: We are still waiting to see what's next for Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

• He has hinted he'll run again, but not whether it will be for senate, governor or President in 2024.

Who's waiting: Ken Griffin. The Illinois billionaire has said he will fund a candidate to oppose incumbent Pritzker.

• Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin has been rumored to be his choice, but his staff previously said he wasn't interested.
• No Republican woman has jumped in the race, but names like Jeanne Ives and Erika Harold have been mentioned.

Who's already in: Illinois State Senator Darren Bailey and former State Senator Paul Schimpf, businessman Gary Rabine and tech entrepreneur Jesse Sullivan are some of the candidates already campaigning.

Reminder: Candidates will have more time to campaign this year after the primary was pushed back to June. The filing deadline is March 14.

Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) members will vote today on switching to remote teaching during the current COVID-19 surge.

• But Chicago Public School (CPS) officials call it "a refusal to report to work."

The vote could result in one of three outcomes tomorrow:

• All 320,000 CPS students switching to remote learning.
• Students being cut off from learning entirely if CPS blocks teachers' access to students and equipment.
• School proceeding as usual if CTU members vote to stay in school.

State of play: CTU and CPS officials are still at odds over union demands to set safety metrics, test students for COVID and provide high quality masks for students and staff.

• Hope for compromise looked bleak Monday after Mayor Lori Lightfoot told CNBC, "We need to keep our kids in school, which is what we're going to do in Chicago."

Zoom out: CPS looks increasingly like an island of resistance. School districts across the country and the Chicago area, including Lightfoot's daughter's school, have delayed starts or moved to remote teaching.

What's next: CPS officials refused to answer Axios' question about allowing the district to go to remote teaching, but offered a statement:

• "CPS is aware of the CTU's calls for possible member actions, including refusal to report to work which CPS is deeply concerned could place the health and safety of members of our community, particularly our students, at increased risk."
• City officials continue to say that "community" interactions and not schools pose the greatest COVID risk to students.

🏥 A record 6,294 people are being treated for COVID at Illinois hospitals. (Daily Herald)

😟 Economists are rosy about 2022, but not in Chicago. Manufacturing and population loss are at the top of the worry list. (Crain's Chicago Business)

🏈 The Bears won Sunday, but where were the rookies who need playing time for the future? Lame duck head coach Matt Nagy chose to start veteran players instead. (Chicago Tribune)

🎄 Where to recycle your Christmas tree in the Chicago area. (Block Club Chicago)

Chicagoans filed more 311 complaints per capita than the rest of America's 10 biggest cities in 2020, according to data compiled by storage unit platform Storage Cafe.

Why it matters: The analysis suggests that Chicago is "a stressful" city because we like to file 311 complaints. And that stressed us out.

• We prefer to see 311 requests as a sign of proactive public engagement with at least some trust the complaints will be addressed.
• In fact, the city set up an online 311 system in 2018 that tracks the progress of your complaints.

Yes, but: At least one 2020 analysis of Chicago's 311 system showed that requests can take an average of 26 days to be addressed.

Our biggest beefs: Between Dec. 2018 and Dec 2021, Chicago's top 311 complaints were about airplane noise, graffiti, street lights, rats, potholes and garbage cans — each getting more than 150,000 service requests.

The intrigue: Some popular requests took us by surprise, including:

• Dead animal pick up: 36,658.
• Snow object/Dibs object removal: 5,198.
• Coyote interaction complaint: 4,832.

💭 Monica's thought bubble: As I sorted through the data, I found 416 "pushcart vendor complaints" aimed at vendors of corn and fruit cups.

• Really, people? You think reporting folks for selling fresh fruits and veggies is a priority in this city? Grrrr!

We got an avalanche of correct answers yesterday from Chicagologists who guessed correctly that Monica was on the Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course.

• The nine-hole Chicago Park District course was built as the Waveland Golf Course in 1932 but was renamed in honor of a former Park's commissioner in 1991.

👏 Congratulations to Tom N. and Mary L., who were randomly chosen from our correct responders and can claim Axios swag at our next live event when civilization resumes.

We're starting a new weekly item called "Sound Off" to ask you questions about the changing world around us. Together, we can crowdsource the best practices for 2022.

Today's Sound Off: With gyms restricted and the winter months putting a damper on going outside, how are you keeping in shape (or not)?

📬 Respond to this email and we'll publish your best practices/ideas later this week!