CHICAGO — Rahm Emanuel forged ahead with his campaign for Chicago mayor Thursday after an elections panel ruled his name can appear on the Feb. 22 ballot, rejecting arguments that the former White House chief of staff forfeited his city residency when he went to work for President Barack Obama in Washington.
The decision of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners removed a major obstacle to Emanuel’s ambitions to replace retiring Mayor Richard M. Daley. More than two dozen people challenged Emanuel’s candidacy, contending he didn’t meet a requirement that he be a resident of Chicago for a year before the election. An attorney for some vowed to immediately appeal the ruling.
Board hearing officer Joseph Morris ruled Thursday that evidence showed Emanuel had no intention of terminating his residency in Chicago, left the city to work for Obama and told friends he intended to live in Washington for no more than two years. The elections board agreed. The Associated Press
