The Countdown: Supreme Court Weighs In, Chico Returns Donations

Just 27 days to go, and things are finally a bit clearer. After months of hearings and debate, Rahm Emanuel's residency issue has finally been resolved. Now we can get back to the regularly scheduled election drama.

Stay tuned to HuffPost Chicago from now until February 22 for "The Countdown," a daily roundup of election news, gossip and other fun tidbits. You can also sign up to receive "The Countdown" via email daily by checking the "Chicago Brief" box here.

NO MORE DRAHMA (AT LEAST WHEN IT COMES TO HIS BALLOT SPOT)

After a very long afternoon of waiting, the Illinois Supreme Court announced their decision in Rahm Emanuel's residency case Thursday evening. In a rather scathing opinion, the justices unanimously decided that Emanuel has the right to run for mayor. They accused the appellate court that booted Emanuel from the ballot Monday of "tossing out 150 years of settled residency law" and called their decision "fundamentally flawed."

Burt Odelson, the attorney who has been trying to get Emanuel off the ballot from the start, left for Florida Thursday after the decision was announced.

"I feel good, as a lawyer, because we did win in the appellate court," Odelson said. "I think we should have won, but I respect the Supreme Court's decision. It's the law of the land."

MIGUEL SHINES

Just an hour after the Supreme Court decision, Emanuel joined former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, former Chicago Board of Education President Gery Chico and City Clerk Miguel del Valle in a televised debate. The debate was moderated by Tribune editorial page editor Bruce Dold and WGN News anchor Micah Materre. Dold didn't play nice, grilling Emanuel about his time at Freddie Mac, Chico about his failed law firm, Braun about her late taxes and del Valle about his weak polling numbers. All and all, however, the candidates remained civil to one another.

Miguel del Valle definitely positioned himself as the anti-establishment candidate. He slammed Chicago's revenue tactics, saying that the city has been putting its financial problems on the backs of working and poor Chicagoans while giving big contracts and good jobs to politically connected people. Though he trails badly financially (and in the polls) he is emerging as "the most progressive candidate in the field."

Read our live blog of the mayoral debate here.

CHICO GIVES IT BACK

Some digging by the Chicago News Cooperative resulted in candidate Gery Chico returning a few campaign contributions today. Chico's campaign returned four $5,000 campaign donations that were linked to "business associates of controversial taxicab magnate Symon Garber."

Chico has returned a number of questionable donations so far. Read all about 'em here.

If you have any juicy gossip about the Chicago elections, or a story you think we should see, send us an email at [e-mail].

Comments

[TrueChicagoan]

01:57 PM on 01/28/2011

After the debate my roommates and I wanted to go out in the streets and chant Miguel! Miguel! Too bad we're in Urbana, IL. I guess we'll just have to chant his name as we fill out our absentee ballots.

[wendyshyersayles]

03:48 AM on 01/28/2011

Carol Mosley Braun has the most experience of all the mayoral candidates, encompassing local, city, state, federal, and international politics. She has a proven track record of success, especially when it comes to promoting business development for women, as well as vital health issues. Her resume compared to the rest, is unquestionably the best ! Please do not have your vision clouded by irrelevant BS.

[peterbeagle]

10:39 AM on 01/28/2011

CMB is a failed senator who embarrassed the state. If she had been successful, she'd have been reelected. She does NOT have a proven track record of success.

[VOTER]

10:50 AM on 01/28/2011

X2

[Terrible Towel]

11:59 AM on 01/28/2011

x3

[DrueH]

12:16 PM on 01/28/2011

Really, the most experience? as a 1 term do nothing senator, a brief period as an ambassador New Zealand of all places, and now as a "businesswoman" which for her is basically a glorified Amway salesperson. She would drive the city into a ditch, sorry to say.

[Chivas]

01:59 AM on 01/28/2011

Del Valle is the only option Chicago has for an honest politician. Everybody else is corrupt, some more or less but all represent the establishment as we know it. We are always clamoring for an hones politician to come. Del Valle is here, now we are beating him on the head about his lack of money. Go figure! I'll prefer an honest man over a flashy crook anytime, being male or female. DEL VALLE IS THE MAN !

[peterbeagle]

10:41 AM on 01/28/2011

Agreed. He's a good guy. The press is all over Rahm and CMB. Del Valle is solid and reliable, so he gets no face time.

[Sick and Tired]

11:25 AM on 01/28/2011

Completely agree!

[Patricia Jones Blessman]

11:10 PM on 01/27/2011

This race is about Chicagoans defining who they want as mayor-
A mayor who works for the people- Carol - or a politician who has used public service to enrich themselves and their buddies (Rahm and Gery) from our tax money. Carol will make Chicago work for all families in every neighborhood.

[VOTER]

11:36 PM on 01/27/2011

She sure didn't help Illinoisans when she was our Senator and I don't 
think she has changed one little bit.
I was a supporter both with money and time during her first Senate campaign.
She sure fooled me back then. Never again.

[Darjmar]

11:52 PM on 01/27/2011

And your new Streets and San commissioner, Sani 'Boom Boom" Abacha!

Carol can't make a small business of a handful of employees work, what makes anyone thing she can make a multi-billion dollar organization of tens of thousands of employees, with almost 3 million people who demand service daily, work?