Few political stories in recent memory have dominated the Chicago headlines quite like the 2011 mayoral race. The saturation is so intense that a sitting governor facing the political fight of his life isn't even guaranteed daily coverage. With Rahm Emanuel's re-emergence on the local scene, the media frenzy is reaching a fevered pitch. Here's a brief clip we shot of the former White House Chief of Staff fielding questions on one of the first stops of his "listening tour" this morning:

So far, most of the column inches and television minutes devoted to the City Hall free-for-all have understandably focused on the horserace: who is in, who is out, and who is undecided. But we're just four months away from the first open mayoral contest in a generation; and the stakes for voters couldn't be higher. Chicago progressives are hoping to ensure the candidates don't keep quiet about the municipal issues that matter most.

At a press conference outside of Mayor Richard Daley's fifth floor office, a city-wide coalition of influential community groups named New Chicago 2011 outlined its "community platform." "New Chicago 2011 has bound ourselves together to ensure that we will hold this election in a matter in which all the people are represented and all the people are heard," said Rev. Booker Vance, president of the Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL). Watch it:

New Chicago's platform focuses on several core principles. The creation of good jobs sits at the top of the list. The coalition specifically namechecks the TIF Living Wage ordinance, which would apply living wage requirements to companies with a payroll exceeding 50 people that "receive financial assistance" from the city. They are also calling on all candidates to support efforts to increase the state's minimum wage and bolster public transportation, the main avenue by which most city residents get to work.

After jobs comes housing, which is increasingly expensive for working families across the city. Signing into law the Sweet Home Chicago ordinance, a stronger Vacant Property Ordinance, and programs that reach out to foreclosure victims, the coalition argues, could help give all Chicagoans "the choice to be here tomorrow."

Lowering neighborhood crime rates and improving the Chicago Public Schools system would give residents a reason to stay in the city tomorrow. That's why the progressives are asking potential candidates to use evidenced-based solutions for school reform, expand teacher recruitment campaigns (particularly in hard-to-staff buildings), empower local school councils and parents with a stake in the system, boost summertime job opportunities for young people, and support a citizen's review board to increase police accountability.

Finally, New Chicago doesn't want Mayor Daley's successor to keep the city's budgeting and finance decision-making process shrouded in secrecy any longer. That means candidates will be asked to back substantial reform of the city's tax increment financing system, consider a hold on future asset and service privatizations, and implement a third-party analysis of every city budget.

Over the next several months, activists will work hard to hold the candidates' feet to the fire. They are already developing a comprehensive candidate questionnaire, which will allow voters to find out (in writing) where each pol stands on New Chicago's core principles. By December, the group wants to hold a giant candidate's forum, allowing candidates to explain their priorities in detail before both the media and voters. And some community groups will launch voter registration and turnout drives to increase participation.

Any candidate that wants to win this competitive race will have to build a coalition that covers wide swaths of the city. They should ignore New Chicago 2011 at their own peril.