Spectre of Residency Challenge Dogs Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel's campaign is fighting back efforts to kick him off the ballot before those efforts have even officially commenced. 

"We filed over 90 thousand signatures," said Ben Labolt, Emanuel campaign spokesman in a telephone conference call with Chicago reporters. Labolt said that efforts to challenge Emanuel's residency are attempts to "take the choice away" and give it  instead "to political operatives in a backroom."

While in Washington D.C., Emanuel's voting status was "inactive", according to attorney and residency expert Mike Kreloff, who noted that any resident whose mail is returned is categorized as such.

But Kreloff says attempts to deny Emanuel's residency are just political games.

"The law says one must have one year's residency in the city of Chicago," Kreloff said, but noted "you do not lose your residency when you take a position with the federal govenment."

To regain his active voter status, Emanuel needs only sign a legal document that affirms he lives at a local address. Emanuel is then automatically reinstated. Emanuel has signed the document.

Kreloff scoffed at the idea that Emanuel wasn't a true resident, and thus not qualified to run for mayor.

"I don't know what the opponents will come up with next," he said. "These are just political games to infringe on someone's right to run."

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