Chicago, IL, United States (AHN) – With Capitol Hill embroiled in debate over House objections to a crucial compromise tax bill, the former top aide at the White House detailed the history of his living arrangements and whereabouts of family photo albums and furniture at his Chicago home Tuesday before city officials.
Rahm Emanuel testified on the second day of hearings about objections to his candidacy for mayor. The 51-year-old is facing questions about whether he meets the one-year residency requirement. Emanuel lived in D.C. during his nearly two-year stint as White House chief of staff.
Answering questions from Burt Odelson, a lawyer representing some of the challengers, Emanuel explained his attempts in October to end the lease to his North Hermitage home early by offering the tenant compensation for rent and moving expenses.
The tenant, Rob Halpin, who himself entered and later withdrew from the mayoral race, “was not interested in the offer,” Emanuel said.
The candidate said the lease with Halpin had just been extended until June 2011. He said his family’s most prized possessions such as his wife’s wedding dress, photo albums and his children’s paintings from kindergarten to first grade are stored at the basement of the home.
During testimony, the rental listing for the North Hermitage home, Emanuel’s tax returns and voter registration card were presented.
Emanuel listed his mailing address on his 2009 tax return as his home in Woodley Park in Washington, where he lived while working at the White House. He declared himself a “part-year resident” in his D.C. tax return.
He said he submitted an amended Illinois tax return for the same year declaring himself a full-year instead of a part-time resident “’cause the first one was inaccurate.” Asked about the timing of the amended return, Emanuel said his accountant “made the correction, having found the mistake.”
The amended return was filed on Nov. 24, when city election officials received objections to Emanuel’s candidacy and a little over two months after Mayor Richard Daley announced his intention to retire.
Nearly 30 objections have been filed against Emanuel, and the hearings on his residency are expected to take until the end of the week. His wife, who was provisionally subpoenaed last week, will no longer have to testify.
Emanuel currently rents a loft in Chicago while his wife and two children remain in Washington until the end of the school year. His campaign and supporters have argued that while living in D.C. as White House chief of staff, he continued to pay property taxes and to vote, voting absentee in local elections.
The editorial board of the Chicago Tribune has also pointed out that while the Illinois municipal code has a one-year residency requirement, the state election code considers anyone who leaves temporarily “on business of the United States” a resident.
A former chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Emanuel is one of 16 contenders in the mayoral race. An expert fundraiser, he is considered the frontrunner. His strongest rivals include former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL), and former City Colleges Board chair Gery Chico.
The election is in February and a runoff will be held in April if no candidate receives at least 50 percent. The new mayor assumes office in May.
View full post on All Stories