Thaindian News

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (BNO NEWS) — Rahm Emanuel, former White House chief of staff, on Monday was ruled ineligible to appear on the mayor’s ballot by the Illinois appeals court.

Tow of three judges of the appeals court ruled that Emanuel did not meet the residency requirements and thus barred him from running for Chicago mayor on the upcoming February 22 elections.

The court’s ruling reversed an early decision by the Chicago Board of Elections that determined Emanuel was eligible. Last October, Emanuel resigned his position as White House chief of staff to run for mayor of Chicago.

The petitioners, Walter Maksym, and Thomas McMahon, claimed that Emanuel sought judicial review over the Board of Elections’ decision at the circuit court of Cook County.

However, the Cook County court ratified the Board of Elections’ ruling and turned to the appeals court which on Monday reversed the decision of including Emanuel in the ballot.

In order to be eligible for mayor, the individual must have been living in Chicago for at least a year prior to the February 22 election. Emanuel was born in Chicago and purchased a home in the city in 1998.

In January 2009, Emanuel was appointed as President Obama’s chief of staff and moved to Washington D.C. His family remained in the Chicago residence while he lived in an apartment in the U.S. capital.

Emanuel lived in the apartment from January to May 2009. in June of that year, he and his family moved to a house in the U.S. capital. After his resignation as chief of staff, he returned to Chicago in October 2010.

The former chief of staff claims that he is eligible to run for mayor as he continued to own the home, paid property taxes on it and voted as a Chicago resident. The Chicago Board of Elections agreed with that but the appeals court ruled otherwise.

It is expected that Emanuel will appeal with the Illinois Supreme Court against the two-to-one vote which prohibits him from being included in the ballot in the upcoming elections.