Hearing officer Joe Morris has recommended that Chicago mayoral candidate Rahm Emanuel be allowed to run after dozens of people had challenged Emanuel's residency status, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Morris wrote, "The name of Rahm Emanuel shall appear and shall be printed on the ballot." The recommendation to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners was filed at 1:50 a.m. on Dec. 23.
Emanuel argued that it was his objectors' burden to prove that he had "abandoned" his Chicago residency, not his own burden to prove that he had established residency.
In a statement, Emanuel said, "While the decision rests with the Commissioners, I am encouraged by this recommendation."
In other mayoral news, former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, state Sen. the Rev. James Meeks and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis met privately Dec. 22 to unite behind a consensus Black mayoral candidate, according to a separate Sun-Times piece.
The item speculated that if one of the three dropped out, it would probably be Meeks. Of the trio, Meeks has generated the most controversy. Last week, he suggested that only African Americans should get city contracts set aside for minorities and womenalthough he later spoke differently on the matter.
Within the LGBT community, Meeks has had a turbulent history. He has spoken out against homosexuality, and voted against the civil-unions bill that the Illinois General Assembly recently passed. However, he has reached out to the community in recent months.