Sadly, the new mayoral era is starting off pretty slowly and continues to be a bit tough for Rahm Emanuel. On top of Judy Erwin resigning her position on Emanuel's transition team in the wake of an ethics probe, Miguel Del Valle rejected Emanuel's offer to co-chair the same transition team. more ›

We already know that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's office is keeping an eye on tomorrow's election for any hanky panky. Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said during a news conference yesterday that, with over 200 candidates on the ballot in 43 ward races throughout the city in addition to the mayoral election, her office is on "high alert" for instances of voter fraud. “We anticipate that election activity, legitimate or otherwise, will be at an all-time here in the city of Chicago,” Alvarez said. The 24th Ward alone has a field of 18 candidates for alderman. more ›

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's office wanted to remind voters and candidates that they will be keeping tabs on next week's election for any Chicago-style voting shenanigans. Those of you who bring your dead uncle's voter registration to the polls, you've been warned. more ›

ABC7 released a poll last night showing that Rahm Emanuel's lead in the mayoral race has expanded, suggesting that if the election were held today the former White House chief of staff would have enough support of the electorate to avoid an April runoff. Of the 600 respondents to the poll, Emanuel was favored by 54 percent. Gery Chico was a distant second at 14 percent, Miguel del Valle at 8 percent and Carol Moseley Braun at 6 percent. None of the three major challengers to Emanuel outpolled undecided voters. more ›

If there's an Achilles heel to Rahm Emanuel's campaign, it's the questions regarding his residency. The Rahmformer may have thought he put it to bed once he rented a West Town condo while his Ravenswood home is still occupied by a man who's mulling his own mayoral run, but Tribune columnist John Kass writes in today's paper that Emanuel's name has been purged from the voting rolls twice in the past 13 months. more ›

The Rev. James Meeks raised the hackles of some local politicians last week when he said that he would not step down as the minister of his Salem Baptist Church if he was elected Mayor next spring. Saying that stepping down was "non-negotiable," Meeks said he could run both the church and carry out the duties of mayor. Some critics, such as 34th Ward Alderman Carrie Austin, countered that Meeks has to consider stepping down, citing the grueling responsibilities of being mayor and saying that doing both is a violation of the Constitution's separation of church and state. Although, to our knowledge, none of these folks ever raised that issue during Rev. Meeks's tenure as a State Senator. more ›

2nd Ward Alderman Robert Fioretti took his campaign for Mayor public today. The one-term alderman plans on making a formal announcement next week, complete with a platform, and becomes the first alderman to throw his hat into the growing scrum for Mayor Daley's not-yet-vacant office. more ›

White House chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel is denying the suggestion from Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn he's considering a run for Chicago mayor in 2011. In her column on Monday, Quinn said: more ›