When Chicago's next mayor is inaugurated this coming May, one of the tasks on his or her plate will be deciding whether to keep in place or shake up the top brass in the city bureaucracy. Chicago's mayor, following Daley's 21-year tenure, is invested with tremendous power in this regard. Not only do the city's department heads serve at the pleasure of City Hall's 5th floor, but so do the leadership and governing boards of Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Housing Authority, the Chicago Park District, Chicago Transit Authority, and the City Colleges of Chicago. The mayor even appoints members to the city's advisory councils and development panels. NPR's David Schaper said Tuesday on WTTW's Chicago Tonight that at various city departments and agencies "everything's up for grabs" in the post-Daley era. Watch (the full clip is available here):

It's too soon to tell who will stay and who will go when Daley's tenure officially ends, though we predicted yesterday that Police Superintendent Jody Weis is likely out the door. Other top staffers and leaders are likely to quit as well; Crain's added (subscription required) Chief Financial Officer Gene Munin, Corporation Counsel Mara Georges, Daley's press Secretary Jacquelyn Heard, and others to its watch list. What this jockeying will mean for city policy down the road is something we'll be watching and assessing closely at Progress Illinois over the coming months.