Meeks’ residency questioned in Chicago race

According to legal papers filed with the Chicago Board of
Elections, state Sen. James T. Meeks may be better qualified to run
for mayor of South Holland than mayor of Chicago.

Meeks, who also is the pastor of the Salem Baptist Church on the
city’s South Side, announced his candidacy for Chicago mayor on
Nov. 14, after Chicago Mayor Richard Daley revealed he wouldn’t
seek a seventh term.

The challenge, filed Nov. 30 on behalf fellow mayoral candidate
William “Doc” Walls III, requests that Meeks be removed from the
ballot for the Feb. 22 Chicago municipal general election on the
basis that his primary residence is not in the city, but at 16853
Manor Drive in South Holland.

Walls is a community activist and a former aide to former
Chicago Mayor Harold Washington. A picture of the two appears
prominently at the top of Walls’ campaign website.

Walls ran unsuccessful campaigns against Daley in 2007, and
against U.S. Rep Bobby Rush in 2008.

The Illinois State Board of Elections website shows that when
Meeks filed as a candidate for the 2008 general election, his
residence was 11824 S. Indiana Ave., in Chicago.

However, the challenge, notarized and filed by Chicago attorney
Andrew Finko, goes on to allege that Meeks has not maintained that
residence for at least one year prior to the election, as required
by law.

Messages left for Meeks, Walls and Finko were not immediately
returned Monday.

The challenge goes on to allege that at the time Meeks filed his
petitions for candidacy, he was “in arrears and indebted to the
City of Chicago for outstanding and overdue payments including
amounts due to the Chicago Department of revenue,” specifically for
failure to purchase Chicago vehicle stickers in 2009 and 2010.

In response to a Freedom of Information Request filed Tuesday,
the village of South Holland produced records that list James T.
Meeks as the owner of the Manor Drive property and show that bills
for water, sewer and garbage service have been regularly paid
through the second half of 2010.

In response to a second request asking for records of village
stickers purchased for vehicles registered to the same address, the
village produced a single sheet that shows no vehicle stickers have
been issued to Meeks. The most recent vehicle stickers sold at that
address were to the previous owner of the home in 2009.

Meeks is not the only candidate whose residency has been called
into question.

Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel faces more than
30 objections to his candidacy, including one filed by attorney
Burt Odelson, who also serves as city attorney in Calumet City.
Odelson and other opponents contend Emanuel doesn’t meet the
residency requirement because he lived for nearly two years in
Washington before coming home to run for mayor.

A hearing officer is expected to begin listening to evidence
Monday after a status hearing Friday. Election officials are
rushing to get a decision on whether Emanuel will be on the ballot
because the case is likely to end up in court before the
election.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.