Is Rahm a legal resident of Chicago?
C'mon, Mac. This is Chicago. Does it really matter where Rahm has been sleeping the last two years?
It just might:
Sunday, Rahm Emanuel announced in a video posted on a website that he is preparing to run for mayor of Chicago. But two of Chicago's top election lawyers say the state's municipal code is crystal clear that a candidate for mayor must reside in the town for a year before the election.
That doesn't mean they must simply own a home in the city that they rent out to someone else. They must have a place they can walk into, keep a toothbrush, hang up their jacket and occasionally sleep, the lawyers say.
Another three election lawyers say Emanuel could be thrown off the ballot on a residency challenge. None says Emanuel will have it easy.
[...]
Ironically, President Obama would have no problem coming back to Chicago to run for mayor because he never rented out his home and has come back to stay there on rare occasions."He has a physical location that he owns and has exclusive right to live in," said attorney Jim Nally.
But Emanuel's problem as he prepares to run for mayor is that he rented out his house, and the tenant refuses to back out of the lease.
"The guy does not meet the statutory requirements to run for mayor," said attorney Burt Odelson. "He hasn't been back there in 18 months. Residency cases are usually very hard to prove because the candidate gets an apartment or says he's living in his mother's basement. Here the facts are easy to prove. He doesn't dispute he's been in Washington for the past 18 months. This is not a hard case."
If there's a loophole, Rahm will find it. And my guess would be Hizzoner the Mayor would twist some arms down at the clerk's office if he has to in order to get Emanuel on the ballot.
But the saying "Only in Chicago" applies here - with gusto.