Rahm: Voters Don't Care Where I Live
The Hill reports:
Chicago mayoral candidate and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said Wednesday he doesn't expect the lingering controversy over challenges to his residency to impact the race for mayor.
In an interview on Chicago's WGN-TV, Emanuel said voters he talks to are much more interested in "the safety of their streets, the strength of our schools and the stability of our economy so we can grow jobs."
"They're not interested in where Rahm lives," Emanuel said. "They're interested in where they live and the community where they want to raise a kid or get a job."
The Chicago Board of Elections recently ruled that Emanuel was eligible for the city's mayoral ballot after several opponents — including the man to whom Emanuel rented his Chicago home while he was serving in Washington, D.C. — challenged his residency.
A Cook County Court judge agreed with the board's decision last week, but a lawyer representing those challenging Emanuel's residency has appealed that decision to Illinois Appellate Court.
Emanuel said Wednesday that it should be up to voters to decide whether the residency challenges have any validity.
"Leave it up to the voters to make a decision," he said. "People on the inside shouldn't be trying to make that decision."
