We were honestly quite suprised to hear last week that Ald. Manny Flores (1st Ward) had accepted Gov. Pat Quinn's nomination to chair the Illinois Commerce Commission. Over the past year, Flores has led some of the most important fights at City Hall, pushing for more transparency around tax increment financing and assets sales. (You can find our coverage of his work here.) Here's a statement from the alderman on his last day in office:

Today I attended my last City Council meeting. It has been a great honor and privilege to serve you in the Chicago City Council as Alderman of the 1st Ward. Through my City Council experience, I have learned much about the importance of public service and working hard to improve the lives of our citizens and the quality of life in our community. The City Council is indeed a remarkable place that is made up of very caring and thoughtful public servants. I will miss serving and working with you as Alderman. I will also miss my colleagues in the Chicago City Council.

Flores' job switch prompts a few important questions. First, what type of consumer reforms, if any, will the Chicago Democrat -- and environmental steward -- implement at ICC?

Second, who will Mayor Daley choose to fill his seat on the City Council? Flores has his own preferences, as Medill reports:

Among the possible replacements Flores prefers are Proco “Joe” Moreno, who ran for state senate in 2008, and Raymond Valadez, Flores’ chief of staff. Jesse Ruben Juarez, the Democratic Ward Committeeman, is also a possibility, as is Juan “Johnny” Elias, a Flores campaign worker.

Stay tuned ...

Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user juggernautco.