By Jayette Bolinski | Illinois Statehouse News

SPRINGFIELD — Unusually high humidity may be to blame for problems with paper ballots throughout Illinois during the primary election March 20, state election officials said Tuesday.

The state experienced record-setting temperatures and unseasonably high humidity the day of the primary, apparently affecting the “hydroexpansivity” — the tendency of paper to expand when it absorbs moisture — of the paper ballots and rendering them difficult or impossible to feed into the ballot scanners at some precincts. The moisture caused the dimensions of the ballot to expand and be off slightly.

“It is possible that the problem ballots were just so close to the limits of the acceptable width tolerance that the additional humidity alone was enough to put them out of tolerance,” according to a report by State Board of Elections officials who investigated the matter.

In all, 26 Illinois voting jurisdictions had problems with the ballots. Some had just a few ballots that would not feed into the scanner, while at least one had difficulty with all of its ballots. Election judges chose to either trim the edges of the ballots so they would fit into the scanners or to remake the ballots on proper-width ballot stock.

Many of the problems occurred in Winnebago County in northern Illinois, suburban DuPage County outside Chicago and Macoupin County in central Illinois, according to elections officials.

Investigators also looked at other possible explanations for the ballot problems, including how and where the ballots were stored beforehand, as well as the weight, thickness, grain and type of paper used. Humidity levels were a common denominator across the state.

A check of climate figures for the day show temperatures about 11 a.m. across the state were in the mid 60s and got warmer as the day went on. Humidity levels about 11 a.m. ranged from the low 60s to upper 70s across the state – 78 percent in suburban Aurora, 73 percent in Springfield and Decatur, 68 percent in Rockford and the metro-east, and 63 percent in suburban Wheaton.

Members of the board of elections, during a meeting Tuesday, declined to spend $5,000 to further investigate what happened in March but did vote in favor of taking steps to try to alleviate the problem, should it happen again. Among their recommendations are that election authorities store ballots in climate-controlled areas, that the ballots are printed with cut marks to make them easier to trim should the need arise, and that each election authority be provided the most up-to-date manufacturer’s manuals for their voting systems.

Macon County Clerk Stephen Bean said officials are lucky the problems occurred during a low-voter-turnout election. He said election judges in five jurisdictions there had issues with the ballots, but they were able to use touch-screen voting to supplement when they ran into difficulties.

“I think the humidity did a lot to it,” he said.

Jayette Bolinski can be reached at jayette.bolinski@franklincenterhq.org.

Originally reported by Illinois Statehouse News. Read the original article here.

Humidity apparent cause of ballot problems during Illinois’ March primary | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

NEWARK—A Bergen County, New Jersey insurance broker admitted today to failing to pay more than $2 million in personal income taxes and using straw donors to make almost $100,000 in illegal contributions to a federal campaign committee, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Paul J. Fishman announced.

Joseph Bigica, 46, of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of corruptly interfering with the due administration of the Internal Revenue laws and one count of conspiring to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). Bigica entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Faith S. Hochberg in Newark federal court.

“Today, Joseph Bigica admitted he cheated the United States of millions in taxes and intentionally skirted campaign finance laws,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “By putting assets and political contributions in the names of others, Bigica spent millions on a luxury lifestyle and illegally funneled nearly $100,000 to a federal campaign while claiming he didn’t have the money to pay his taxes. By deceiving two government agencies at once, he sought to illegally influence a national election while shirking his responsibilities as a taxpayer.”

“The criminal activities of Joseph Bigica epitomize problems which are notorious in New Jersey,” said FBI Newark Division Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward. “By engaging in this illegal campaign finance scheme, he sought to illegally influence the election while feathering his own nest along the way via the hiding of assets and avoidance of taxes. Such activities pervert the political process and increase the burden on honest taxpayers.”

“Honest, hard-working taxpayers can rest assured that IRS-Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners will continue our aggressive pursuit of individuals like Mr. Bigica who are able to live a lavish lifestyle by intentionally cheating on their taxes,” said JoAnn S. Zuniga, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office. “Tax fraud is not a victimless crime because we all pay when others swindle the government.”

According to documents filed in this case and statements made during Bigica’s guilty plea proceeding:

From January 2000 to September 2011, Bigica was employed as an insurance broker through his companies Joseph Bigica Inc. and Joseph Bigica LLC. Bigica admitted that during that time, he failed to file timely tax returns for calendar years 1999 through 2006 or pay his taxes when they were due.

In July 2007, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notified Bigica that there was no record of his tax returns for calendar years 2003 and 2004. After receiving the notice, Bigica filed tax returns in 2008 for calendar years 1999 through 2006 showing that he had gross income totaling approximately $5,801,888, on which $1,488,020 in taxes were due. After also filing for tax years 2007 and 2008, for an additional $1,727,866 in income on which $507,166 was due, Bigica claimed to the IRS in 2009 that he was unable to pay the total outstanding tax liability.

Bigica admitted that from April 2000 to September 2011, he took steps to conceal his income and assets from the IRS, including by using bank accounts in the names of companies he controlled and in the name of his spouse; using a credit card in the name of an employee and her husband; and making extensive use of a Jersey City, New Jersey check cashing business. The check casher handled approximately 241 checks totaling more than $2.5 million payable to Bigica, companies with which he was affiliated, and others.

While claiming he was unable to pay his tax obligations, Bigica spent substantial amounts of money on personal expenses such as Lamborghini and Ferrari automobiles; pool service; vacations; a residence at a club in St. Thomas; and unlawful contributions to a federal campaign committee.

Bigica admitted that between April 2005 and May 2009, he conspired with others to make approximately $98,600 in illegal contributions to the campaign committee of a federal candidate. To make the contributions, Bigica used 19 straw donors—including family members, business associates and others—whom Bigica then reimbursed for their contributions using checks drawn on accounts in the name of his spouse or companies he controlled. No one associated with the campaign has been accused of any wrongdoing.

The tax charge to which Bigica pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The FECA violation conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of his guilty plea, Bigica agreed to pay $2,141,836 in restitution to the IRS. Sentencing is currently scheduled for September 19, 2012.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ward in Newark; and IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Zuniga, as well as criminal investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark, with the continuing investigation leading to the guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zahid N. Quraishi and Amy D. Luria of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

New Jersey Insurance Broker Admits Failing to Pay Taxes, Making Illegal Donations to Federal Campaign | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

March 27, 2012

Originally reported by Illinois Statehouse News. Read the original article here.

Indicted IL lawmaker a no-show at own hearing | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo flooded thousands of voting sites on November 28th 2011, throughout the Congolese land and overwhelmingly elected the major opposition leader to lead the country of the Congo.

Mr. Etienne Tshisekedi embodies the hopes, the dreams and the aspirations of the vast majority of the Congolese people. Mr. Tshisekedi has never taken up arms to gain power. He has fought pacifically dictatorship under Mobutu, the Laurent Désiré Kabila, and today Joseph Kabila.

Nonetheless, there is overwhelming evidence that the current government worked viciously to hold on to power against the will of the people. The Kabila government had complete control over the electoral process and has used fraudulent means to ensure a victory over the opposition. This regime has not hesitated to make use of force and violence including the killing of innocent civilians to silence any voice of opposition. These facts and many more have been documented and published by many international human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and many others. It has been estimated by many independent observers that at least 18 unarmed civilians have been killed by armed forces since November 26th, 2011.

Jimmy Batila
Independent Congolese Activist

The Congolese People of Illinois to Protest Against Election Fraud by Incumbent Dictator President Joseph Kabange Kabila | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

PHOENIX—A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a nine-count indictment yesterday against Natalie Wisneski, 47, of Tempe, Ariz., for making campaign contributions in the name of another, causing false statements to be made to the federal election commission, filing false tax returns and conspiring to commit the above offenses.

The indictment alleges that Wisneski, as an officer and high-paid employee of the Fiesta Bowl, solicited campaign contributions from Fiesta Bowl employees for federal, state, and local candidates for elective office, and arranged to reimburse the employees for their contributions with Fiesta Bowl money.

Reimbursement for federal campaign contributions is prohibited under the Federal Election Campaign Act, and it also causes the political campaigns to file false information with the Federal Election Commission as to the identity of the true donor. The federal campaigns identified in the indictment have cooperated in the investigation, and no evidence suggests that the campaigns knew that the Fiesta Bowl reimbursed its employees.

The indictment also alleges that Wisneski filed false tax returns on behalf of the Fiesta Bowl when she denied in the tax returns that the Fiesta Bowl had any lobbying expenses or political expenditures. Wisneski will be summonsed to appear for her arraignment on Nov. 30, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. The overall investigation continues, and the Fiesta Bowl organization continues to cooperate with the investigation.

A conviction for conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of five years, a $250,000 fine or both. A conviction for making campaign contributions in the names of others in an amount greater than $10,000 in a single calendar year is punishable as a felony, and carries a maximum penalty of two years, a $250,000 fine or both; A conviction for making campaign contributions in the names of others in an amount between $2,000 and $10,000 in a single calendar year is punishable as a misdemeanor, and carries a maximum penalty of one year, a $100,000 fine or both.

A conviction for false statements carries a maximum penalty of five years, a $250,000 fine or both, and a conviction for filing false tax returns carries a maximum penalty of three years, a $250,000 fine or both.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation has been conducted by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. Federal prosecutors and agents have also worked with state of Arizona prosecutors and agents who are participating in the continuing investigation conducted by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

The federal prosecution is being handled by Frank T. Galati and Gary M. Restaino, Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the District of Arizona’s Phoenix Office.

Former Fiesta Bowl Chief Operating Officer Indicted for Filing False Non-Profit Tax Returns, Making Campaign Contributions in the Names of Others | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Rhymefest announced Friday morning on Twitter that his campaign would not seek a recount in Chicago’s 20th Ward runoff election, essentially conceding to incumbent Alderman Willie Cochran. It marked the end to a six-month-long political odyssey for the socially conscious rapper, who promised to continue his advocacy for the community despite failing in his bid for alderman.

After Tuesday’s election, Che “Rhymefest” Smith was over 300 votes behind his competition. His campaign had insisted (and still insists) that there were irregularities at polling places throughout the ward, and said at the time that it planned to contest the results. Rhymefest said more information on that subject would be forthcoming on Monday.

After Rhymefest made it to the aldermanic runoff by coming in second in the February 22 citywide election, the race between him and Ald. Cochran began to get ugly. Cochran attacked Rhymefest’s lyrics for promoting misogyny and violence, though ‘Fest is known in the hip-hop community as one of the most politically aware and thoughtful rappers in the game. He also mentioned Rhymefest’s arrest record, which the rapper chalked up to mistakes he regretted from his younger years.

Alderman Cochran had claimed victory in the race on election night. He was one of several incumbents to face vigorous challenges in the runoffs, and one of a smaller number to survive his challenge. Four sitting aldermen were swept out of office on April 5.

Rhymefest concedes, drops call for recount in 20th Ward runnoff election | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Candidates Depend on Leadership to Pay for Their Campaigns

CHICAGO, March 11, 2011 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — Money provided by legislative leader PACs and political parties accounted for 63 percent of the spending in the big dollar campaigns for 19 legislative seats in 2010.

Spending by the legislative leaders and parties totaled $15.4 million, the bulk of the total of nearly $24.4 million spent by the 38 candidates vying for 12 House seats and seven Senate seats, according to an analysis of records examined by the Sunshine Project and the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR).

“Legislators living in fear of a tight election contest have come to depend on legislative leaders to prop up their campaigns,” said Cynthia Canary, Director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR).  ”That dependence can become a real addiction, and the side effects warp representative government.”

“Several legislators are in Springfield today only because legislative leaders and parties came up with a third or more of the money they needed to wage winning campaigns against well-funded rivals,” said Kent Redfield, Director of the Sunshine Project and a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield.  ”Several of them allowed their legislative leaders and parties to provide an astounding 70 to 80 percent of their total spending.  That high degree of dependence on a single donor can make constituents question whether their representatives are responsive to their interests.”

The highest total spending contest in the 2010 general election was the more than $2 million spent by the two candidates running for the 49th Senate District, just south of Springfield.  Deanna Demuzio, the incumbent Democrat, spent $1.8 million, including $1.2 million in leader/party money (66 percent), but she lost to Republican Sam McCann, who spent nearly $900,000, including $634,000 in leader/party money (71 percent of his spending).

The 2010 election was the last Illinois election waged under a campaign finance system that allows unlimited contributions from all sources.   Beginning in 2011, contributions more all sources, including legislative leaders and political parties, are limited in primary elections.  The new law applies limits to all funding sources except legislative leaders and parties in the general election.

(Chart of contributions for Senate and House targeted races are available at http://ilcampaign.org/targeted-legislative-races-2010)

Contact:  David Morrison

312-335-1767

SOURCE Illinois Campaign for Political Reform

http://www.ilcampaign.org

Legislative Leaders and Political Parties Spent $15.4 million Influencing the Outcome of 19 Legislative Elections | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Emanuel trounced all opponents with 55 percent of the vote – a margin that allowed him to avoid an April runoff. He needed more than 50 percent to win outright.

It was the city’s first mayoral race in more than 60 years without an incumbent on the ballot and the first in more than two decades without Daley among the candidates. Daley and his father have led Chicago for more than 43 out of the last 56 years.

Emanuel called the victory “humbling” and said the outgoing mayor had “earned a special place in our hearts and our history.”

But he added: “We have not won anything until a kid can go to school thinking of their studies and not their safety. Until the parent of that child is thinking about their work and not where they are going to find work, we have not won anything.”

Reginald Bachus, the 51-year-old pastor of a West Side church who voted for Emanuel, said the next four years will be “a very critical time for Chicago.

“We really need a mayor who has vision. It’s my personal opinion everyone else would have been a manager, and I think Rahm has vision,” Bachus said.

Rahm Emanuel is Next Chicago Mayor | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

CHICAGO, Dec. 17, 2010 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — The Committee for Change in the 27th Ward has announced that the ballot for the 27th Ward Alderman position is not finalized. All candidates are facing objections to their petitions including 15-year incumbent and current Alderman, Walter Burnett, Jr.

According to the objection, Burnett owes debt to the City of Chicago for fines on properties that he owns in person or as a beneficiary in land trust. The Illinois Election Code states that if an individual owes any debt to the city that individual is ineligible to run for city office.  A similar challenge has being made against 27th Ward candidate Victor Rowans for outstanding parking debt. Candidate Gevonna Fassett is being challenged as a non-resident in the City of Chicago pursuant to her Texas motor vehicle records, Texas property ownership and using her parents Chicago home as her candidacy address. The final candidate Tom Courtney is being challenged for not having enough signatures to be placed on the ballot. McKenzie Dyhr withdrew from the race.  

“With all the candidates having objections; we await an announcement from the Elections Board. Once the official ballot is released, we will begin our full analysis of the candidates to see where each stands on the issues important to our committee,” said the Committee for Change (http://www.27thwardchicago.com).

The 27th Ward is located in the East Garfield Park area on the west side of the city. Business Week listed it as one of the most ‘up and coming neighborhoods’ in the United States in 2007. Since the recession, the growth has halted. The Committee for Change believes that change can spark the growth of the 27th Ward again.

About The Committee For Change:

The Campaign for Change in the 27th Ward of Chicago was launched in July 2010 to encourage positive change. The not-for-profit corporation and political action committee is committed to representing the best interests of residents in Chicago’s 27th Ward. The campaign has put together several ideas and plans to continue to develop innovative solutions to improve the City of Chicago.

SOURCE Committee For Change

http://27thwardchicago.org/

Committee For Change: City of Chicago’s 27th Ward Alderman Ballot in Question | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

(WBEZ/Sam Hudzik)

Joseph A. Morris (left) is the hearing officer assigned to the Emanuel objections.

The case to decide whether Rahm Emanuel can run for mayor began Monday at the offices of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. More than two dozen challenges were filed against the former congressman and White House chief of staff, alleging he does not meet a residency requirement.

The election board decided to merge – for now, at least – all of the objections against Emanuel into a single case. That led to a very crowded hearing in a basement conference room, and annoyed election lawyer Burt Odelson, who represents a couple of the challengers.

“Well, I know the law is on my side,” Odelson said to reporters. “What troubles me is the cadre of folks we have here who are going to enter things into the record which have really nothing to do with this case.”

Odelson told the hearing officer, Joseph A. Morris, that he worried that allowing all the objectors to interview witnesses would “turn in to a little bit of a circus.”

Morris replied that objectors would each “get a fair crack at asking a witness any questions that somebody else hasn’t asked.” But he did express a sense of urgency.

“By the middle of January, not only do we need to have completed the proceedings here, and I need to have prepared a recommended decision that goes to the full board of elections, the board of elections needs to decide the matter, and I’m sure just about everybody in the room wants to make sure that if necessary there’s time for appeals to the courts,” Morris said.

The objectors to Emanuel’s petitions, including Odelson, allege that Emanuel is ineligible to run for mayor, in part, because he rented out his Chicago house while working for President Obama in Washington. Odelson represents another mayoral candidate, state Sen. James Meeks, D-Chicago, but has insisted that Meeks is not part of the challenge to Emanuel’s candidacy.

Morris plans to decide on the witness list in a hearing this Friday, with testimony starting Monday. He’s also expected to rule soon on a motion to have the election board chairman, Langdon Neal, barred from considering the case. That motion was filed by Odelson, who said Neal should not be involved because he has made public comments on the issue.

Earlier Monday morning, the election board decided the paperwork filed by four other candidates for mayor blatantly failed to meet the legal requirements. The board removed Ryan Graves, Tommy Hanson, Jay Stone and M. Tricia Lee from the ballot.

“There has to be at least 12,500 signatures of legal voters on a candidate’s nomination papers,” said James Scanlon, the board’s top lawyer. “An examination of Ms. Lee’s nomination papers reveals that there are only 700 signatures.”

The removed candidates have the option of asking the board to reconsider, and Stone has promised a lawsuit.

Also Monday, the man who rents out Emanuel’s North Side house, Rob Halpin, ended his short-lived candidacy for the office. That followed reports by news organizations that some of Halpin’s petition sheets appear to have been falsely notarized.

His withdrawal brings the number of candidates for mayor down to 15. More could be removed in the coming weeks as the board considers objections.

Originally reported by Chicago Public Radio. Read the original article here.

Emanuel candidacy challenge begins | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

(Flickr/Senor Codo)

Devon Avenue is home to a host of cultures that shape its economy.

February ‘s 2011 municipal election is just around the corner. So Eight Forty-Eight head out into the neighborhoods to get a jump start on the issues and on WBEZ’s municipal election coverage.

Rogers Park is Tuesday’s area of focus. The North Side neighborhood is driven by two vital commercial districts: Clark Street and Devon Avenue.

Much of the enterprise is the work of immigrants. So how are things faring and where is this neighborhood economy headed?

To learn more, Eight Forty-Eight turned to Amie Zander, the executive director of the West Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

Music  Button: Bar Kochba, “Abdiel”, from the CD Lucifer: The Book of Angels Vol. 10 (Tzadik)
 

Originally reported by Chicago Public Radio. Read the original article here.

What Chicago’s North Side business owners need to stay vibrant | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

(WBEZ/Sam Hudzik)

Emanuel meets employees at a Chicago factory, whose owner said the former congressman helped keep the jobs in the city.

Rahm Emanuel is responding to objections filed with the Chicago election board against his candidacy. They allege the ex-White House chief of staff is ineligible to run for mayor, because he rented out his house while living in Washington.

Since the complaints were filed – there are now at least 15 of them – Emanuel has relied on surrogates to speak for him. But on Monday morning, at a press conference at a factory on the city’s Northwest side, Emanuel took a few questions from reporters.

He said voters are thinking about things like jobs, instead of whether he meets the one-year residency requirement for candidates.

“They know in the city of Chicago, the basic political games and tricks that go on in the city of Chicago,” Emanuel said.

Despite claiming his residency is a non-issue to voters, Emanuel spent some time talking about his Chicago roots, in detail.

“I was born in the city of Chicago,” Emanuel said. “I raised my kids in the city of Chicago. I own a home in the city of Chicago. I pay property taxes in the city of Chicago. I have a car registered in the city of Chicago. I vote from the city of Chicago, and I was a congressman from the city of Chicago. My uncle was a police officer in the city of Chicago. My father was a pediatrician in the city of Chicago – for over 40 years – and my grandfather came to the city of Chicago in 1917 from Russia.”

Ultimately, the residency law will be interpreted by the three-member Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. If that decision is appealed, the courts will rule on whether Emanuel can stay on the ballot. He is one of 20 candidates vying to replace Mayor Richard Daley.

Originally reported by Chicago Public Radio. Read the original article here.

Emanuel says voters aren’t focused on his residency | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The former White House Chief of Staff had more than $1 million in his federal campaign fund at the end of September, and has been aggressively raising funds for his mayoral candidacy since then.

His advantage in cash over his opponents — Carol Moseley Braun, one of his chief rivals, began the race in over $250,000 of debt; Gery Chico, another leading competitor, had less than $20,000 on hand — has led to an early edge in media as well. Today, Emanuel released his second television ad. (Scroll down to watch.)

The new spot, “Tenacity,” is a minute-long ad highlighting Emanuel’s role in keeping the tiny Chicago Paper Tube & Can Company from moving to Wisconsin.

It follows his first ad, “Tough,” a 30-second spot introducing voters to Rahm and giving a broad-strokes outline of his vision for the city. That spot has gotten significant airtime on local stations; no word yet on the size of the buy for the new commercial.

None of his opponents have purchased airtime yet, likely because they can’t yet afford to. If they want to keep Emanuel from running away with this thing, as recent polls suggest he might, they’ll need to get on the air soon.

Watch Rahm’s new spot:

Originally reported by Huffington Post Chicago. Read the original story here.

WATCH: Rahm Releases A New Ad On Jobs | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

CHICAGO – A longtime Chicago election attorney joined the effort Friday to push mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel off the February ballot over his residency status, even as Emanuel’s supporters say the challenges are a frivolous distraction.

Attorney Burt Odelson filed a petition claiming Emanuel can’t run for mayor because he hasn’t lived in Chicago for the year leading up to the election, as the law requires. Five similar petitions were filed earlier in the week.

“Go to Webster’s dictionary, look up resident, and tell me that’s Rahm,” Odelson said. “The law is really quite simple.”

Emanuel moved out of his North Side home to Washington two years ago to serve as President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, and his supporters insist his relocation always was intended to be temporary.

“Rahm should not be punished for responding to the call of our president,” U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky told reporters on a conference call organized by the Emanuel campaign. “Everyone knows that he had every intention of coming home.”

“I just think the whole notion of this is frivolous,” she said.

Emanuel wasn’t on the conference call. He’s in Los Angeles until Sunday to celebrate Thanksgiving with his brothers, according to campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt. He said the brothers rotate who hosts the holiday.

Odelson filed the petitions on behalf of Walter Maksym Jr., an attorney, and Thomas McMahon, a former Chicago police officer. Odelson said he isn’t involved with the five other petitions that were filed Wednesday.

Those petitions, which are identical, are part of a grass-roots effort to expose a pattern of what petitioners consider voter fraud and residency hijinks by politicians, said South Side resident Paul McKinley. He said a coalition of organizations drew up the petition and is trying to get 1,000 residents to file with the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.

“It’s bigger than just Rahm,” McKinley said. “The Democratic machine in the city of Chicago has routinely looked over these kind of criminal and voter fraud activities.”

Emanuel has rented his Chicago house to Rob Halpin, who renewed the lease until 2011 just days before Mayor Richard Daley announced his retirement. Emanuel has attempted to persuade Halpin to move, but Halpin refuses and is, in fact, running for mayor himself. Emanuel is renting an apartment.

Richard Prendergast, a lawyer who’s volunteering with the Emanuel campaign, said he’s confident Emanuel will beat the residency challenges.

“The issue is not one that should be given too much consideration,” he said.

The deadline to file challenge petitions is Tuesday. The election commission could begin assigning petitions for hearings early next month.

Originally reported by Yahoo. Read the original story here.

More challenges to Emanuel’s Chicago residency | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

CHICAGO — As he travels about the city, assuring Chicagoans that he is one of them, Rahm Emanuel must be asking himself why he just didn’t leave his house vacant when he went off to work in the White House. Or rent it to a buddy or a relative.

That’s because a cornerstone of an expected legal challenge to his status as a Chicagoan – a challenge that, if successful, would knock him off the February ballot and out of the city’s mayor’s race – is that when Emanuel rented his house he broke the rule that a candidate must live in the city a full year before the election.

“He doesn’t have a house. … He’s not a resident if (he’s) renting the house,” said Burt Odelson, a Chicago election attorney who said he’s filing a challenge against Emanuel with the city’s Board of Election Commissioners as early as Friday on behalf of several “objectors” who he would not name.

Emanuel has tried to diffuse any question over his residency since the day he said goodbye to President Barack Obama at the White House, telling Obama that he looked forward to returning to “our hometown” and even throwing in a reference to the Chicago Bears.

Since then, he’s made his family’s history in Chicago part of his narrative, from his grandfather who arrived here from Europe to his own children, the fourth generation of his family to call the city home. He’s talked of his father’s Chicago medical practice and his uncle who retired as a police sergeant after working in a part of the city that Emanuel represented in Congress.

In recent weeks, Emanuel and his staff have ramped up efforts to do away with the issue. His staff posted newspaper editorials and a letter of their own explaining why Emanuel is a resident on his campaign website, ChicagoforRahm.com. In a campaign television commercial, Emanuel shakes hands with residents and city workers while stressing he’s a Chicago guy, coming home to run for mayor.

“I own a home here in the city of Chicago,” Emanuel told reporters during a recent campaign stop. “My car is licensed here in the city of Chicago. I pay property taxes here in the city of Chicago. I vote in the city of Chicago.”

Emanuel has tried to keep the discussion away from the residency issue, but hasn’t had much luck. Another mayoral candidate U.S. Rep. Danny Davis called a news conference this week to say he doesn’t think Emanuel qualifies for the ballot. Further underscoring Emanuel’s dilemma, is the man who has refused to move out of Emanuel’s North Side house. The 59-year-old industrial real estate developer is among those filing petitions to be on the ballot to be the next Chicago mayor.

On one hand, Emanuel appears to be fending off any contention that no matter where he comes from he’s still more comfortable striding the marble corridors of Washington than the gritty and soon to be slushy streets of Chicago. But his words also seem to anticipate a legal fight over his residency.

“Only the opportunity to help President Obama as his chief of staff could have pried me away from here,” he said in announcing his candidacy. “And only the opportunity to lead this city could have pried me away from the President’s side.”

This week, an attorney asked to talk to the media by the Emanuel campaign picked up that point. Richard Prendergast said the argument for Emanuel’s disqualification “does not have any merit because of all the indications of intent to return to Chicago when he completed his government service.”

Prendergast said everything Emanuel has done, from his returning to Chicago to run for Congress after serving in the Clinton administration, to voting in Chicago to retaining his Illinois driver’s license do nothing but demonstrate his intention to return to his hometown. He contends the state election law says people’s voting rights do not change if they leave their home to take a post with the state and federal government – and compared Emanuel to a Chicagoan who went off to serve in the Peace Corps.

“This person comes back from serving his or her country for two years and decides to run for office and is told, `You abandoned your residency,’” Prendergast said. “That argument would be laughed out of court.”

Jim Allen, spokesman for the city’s election board, has said a candidate who leaves the city but maintains registration and votes absentee “has given every indication of intent to return and is considered a resident.”

Odelson, though, argues that the state law refers to those who leave for military service. Besides, he said, all this talk about government service obscures what he calls a simple requirement in the state’s municipal code that candidates live in Chicago for a full year before an election.

“That’s the only issue,” said Odelson, whose resume includes a stint on George W. Bush’s team during the Florida recount.

But other evidence that is likely to be presented by one side or the other is whether or not Emanuel filed a homeowner tax exemption in Chicago and whether he signed and returned an absentee ballot, as his campaign has said paperwork shows he did.

Emanuel and his family lived in the single-family dwelling on the North Side until Obama asked him in late 2008 to take the chief of staff’s job. Emanuel then rented the house to Rob Halpin, who renewed the lease until 2011 just days before Daley announced his retirement.

As he first mulled a mayoral campaign after longtime Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced he would not seek another term, Emanuel attempted to persuade Halpin to move. Halpin refused.

“When he rented it, he can’t go there, can’t eat there, sleep there,” said Odelson, who worked on the signature gathering effort for one of Emanuel’s opponents, state Sen. James Meeks. “It’s unlike the President of the United States, who can go home anytime he wants.”

Had Emanuel rented his house to somebody who allowed him to stay there when he was in Chicago, “He still could say he was a resident here (and) we may not be here,” Odelson said.

Originally reported by Huffington Post Chicago. Read the original story here.

Rahm Emanuel’s Residency Continues To Be An Issue In Chicago Mayoral Race | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Entrepreneurial journalist and Columbia College professor Dan Sinker has been staying on top of the ever-changing candidates list, and his Chicago Mayoral Scorecard is the most informative list we have seen so far.

Find the candidates’ websites, Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and related news stories here.

While the Chicago Tribune‘s Eric Zorn has already placed his bets on how the election will turn out, we wanted you to learn about the candidates and make your own decisions.

Check out what the playing field looks like according to the Chicago Board of Elections, and tell us who has your vote:

No surprise here. Rahm is well-funded, well-connected and the most obvious frontrunner in the mayoral race. If his residency issues go away, Emanuel will be in a very good position.

Former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun is still quite respected in Chicago. She was the first black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, and hopes to be the first black woman to be elected Mayor of Chicago.

Rep. Danny Davis is very well-known and well-liked in Chicago. Unfortunately, when the City Council's Black Caucus made him their "consensus candidate," Braun and Meeks had already thrown their hats in the ring. Davis has filed his petitions, but is late in the game compared to his fellow frontrunners--he still didn't have a website Tuesday morning.

Some say the conservative Sen. James Meeks is the closest thing to a Republican in the Chicago mayoral race. Meeks, pastor of the South Side’s 20,000-member Salem Baptist Church, has been criticized for making homophobic comments and comparing Mayor Daley to a slave master. In any case, anyone who can pack the massive Salem Baptist Church every week is bound to have some serious support in the city.

See more photos with link below.

Originally reported by Huffington Post Chicago. Read the original story here.

PHOTOS: Meet The Candidates For Chicago Mayor | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Rahm Emanuel’s campaign this week defended the candidate against allegations he is ineligible to run for Chicago mayor because he’s been living in Washington, DC, for the past two years. But the ex-White House chief of staff is not the only mayoral hopeful with a potential residency problem.

Nine candidates have filed to run for mayor, including M. Tricia Lee, who says she is an author and “fourth generation Chicagoan.” On her election paperwork, Lee lists as her home address a motel on Chicago’s southwest side, where she says she’s renting out a room. But she only moved there “recently,” Lee said in an interview Friday.

Lee, also known as Maureen Patricia Lee, owns a condo just outside the Chicago city limits, in Oak Lawn, where she is still a registered voter. She said she plans to switch her registration to the motel address soon.

There is a legal requirement that a candidate for mayor must live in the city for a year prior to the election. Asked about that, Lee said her “intentions are good,” that she is running the campaign herself and is “just trying to work within all the requirements.”

Other campaigns could challenge her paperwork, though, to get her booted from the ballot. “If and when there’s an objection filed, we’ll take a look at it,” said Jim Allen, spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.

Originally reported by Chicago Public Radio. Read the original article here.

Emanuel not the only mayoral hopeful facing residency issue | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Green Party candidate Jeremy Karpen says that as he was greeting voters outside his Logan Square polling place on Election Day, he watched the same scenario time and again. A campaign worker for 39th District state rep Toni Berrios, whom Karpen was trying to unseat, would pull a voter aside, greet him familiarly in Spanish, hand him a palm card . . . and then tell him that Karpen was with the Tea Party.

Originally reported by Huffington Post Chicago. Read the original story here.

Illinois Green Party Remains Optimistic Despite Losses At The Polls | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Originally reported by WISH-TV News. Read the original article here.

Radio host: Sharpton visit ‘political’ | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The 8th congressional district race remains undecided, but both candidates in the race say they’re heading to Washington D.C.

U.S. Representative Melissa Bean says she’s going back to the capitol on Monday to continue working. She’d hoped the congressional race would’ve been decided by now, but some election officials say they won’t take up counting absentee ballots until November 16th.

Bean says it’s “entirely possible” she’ll hold on to her seat.

“With every count the tally has narrowed and the gap has narrowed and roughly 70 percent of the absentee of the ballots counted since election day have been cast in my favor which is what’s contributing to that reduction,” Bean said.

Meanwhile, Republican candidate Joe Walsh says he’ll be heading to D.C. on Monday, too, for freshmen orientation. Walsh leads by more than 300 votes. He says he’s confident he’ll continue to hold on to that lead.

Originally reported by Chicago Public Radio. Read the original article here.

Both Bean and Walsh head to D.C. | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.