Bed Them – Bedding and Soft Furnishings

UPDATED posted by Jeff Coen and Kristen Mack at 8:46 p.m: hearing continues Thursday.

The hearing into Rahm Emanuel's eligibility to run for Chicago mayor will continue Thursday after most of today was spent on a debate over what is in the basement of Emanuel's North side home.

At the end of today's session, Emanuel's team said it plans to call four witnesses Thursday. It  is expected the case could go to closing arguments before hearing officer Joseph Morris later in the day.

After that, it is likely to take several days before he makes a written recommendation on Emanuel's ballot status to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. whatever the board decides is expected to be appealed in court by one side or the other.

UPDATED posted by Jeff Coen and Kristen Mack at 5:05 p.m.–Emanuel witness backs up Rahm's story on valuables.

The election hearing on Rahm Emanuel's bid for Chicago mayor focused this afternoon on conflicting testimony over whether the Emanuel family left prized possessions in their North side home when they moved to Washington.Laurie Halpin, who rents Emanuel's Hermitage Avenue home with her husband Robert, testified earlier today that she never saw all the boxes Emanuel testified his family kept in the home.But Emanuel's lawyers this afternoon started presenting their case, and they called a friend of Emanuel's wife who said she helped pack up the family's valuables and place them in a basement crawlspace. Witness Mee Kim-Chavez, of Chicago, said she helped Amy Rule, Emanuel's wife, pack up about 30 boxes of dishes, family heirlooms, children's clothing and mementos from Emanuel's run for congress. the boxes were lifted through a small door in the laundry room in the basement and into the crawlspace. the door was then locked, she said. "I believe my husband put a deadbolt lock on it," Kim-Chavez said.

Earlier, after the lead attorney challenging Emanuel rested his case in chief, hearing officer Joseph Morris moved through the list of other objectors and gave them the chance to call witnesses. Most passed on the chance or renewed calls for Emanuel's wife to take the stand.

"certainly the prized family posessions are in question here," objector Lora Chamberlin said. Morris so far has rejected pleas that Rule come to Chicago.

One who did call a witness was mayoral candidate William "Dock" Walls. He called to the stand James Hayes, a forensic document examiner for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners who usually registers opinions on signatures and petitions.

Walls asked whether Hayes could give an opinion on whether the city vehicle sticker submitted by Emanuel is genuine and whether it ever was "adhered to a window" and then removed. 

Hayes said he could but it would take a number of days in analysis. Morris determined it would be improper for an examiner contracted by the board to do the work, but gave Walls a chance to let someone else analyze it.

Objectioners protested the sticker yesterday saying it would be impossible to remove the sticker without shredding it. Emanuel testified it was placed in a clear plastic sleeve on his car windshield and not stuck directly on the glass.

UPDATED by Jeff Coen and Kristen Mack at 4:00 p.m. with final testimony from Emanuel renter, lead objection attorney resting his case; check back for updates.the election hearing on Rahm Emanuel's bid for Chicago mayor resumed today with one of the renters of his North side home contradicting Emanuel's testimony that his family kept prized possessions in the house when they moved to Washington.Laurie Halpin, whose husband, Robert, briefly became a candidate for mayor himself, said she has never seen boxes belonging to her landlords in the home.

Halpin was called as a witness by election attorney Burt Odelson, who is bringing the most significant challenge contending Emanuel does not meet the requirement of being a Chicago resident for one year prior to the city election.

Odelson rested his case after Halpin's testimony and did not call her husband. Robert Halpin created a media firestorm when he publicly declined to moved out of Emanuel's house and then announced he was running for mayor. He withdrew his candidacy papers amid questions about how he obtained signatures on his petitions to get on the ballot.

It was not immediately clear how Odelson's decision would affect the roughly 20 other citizen objectors who are also trying to knock Emanuel off the ballot. a long line of questioners interrogated Emanuel Tuesday but many were frustrated when their inquiries were ruled out of order.

During an 11-hour marathon session Tuesday, Emanuel testified his family has 100 boxes of their most prized possessions in the basement of the Hermitage Avenue home. He cited that as evidence he maintained his Chicago residence and planned to move back after serving as White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama.

Emanuel said his wife's wedding dress is there in a locked storage area along with family china and a coat that belonged to his grandfather.But Halpin testified today that Emanuel and his wife, Amy Rule, had left only a few items including a piano and their bed. she said she has never seen boxes belonging to her landlords, adding she can get to every part of the basement and that her family stores things like Christmas decorations there."there are no belongings in the house, with the exception of what I listed," Halpin said, referencing a piano and king-sized bed she mentioned earlier.Emanuel's lawyers asked questions suggesting there could be rooms or parts of the basement she hadn't been in, though Halpin said she didn't believe that was the case. Halpin testified there's a panel that could lead to another space she hasn't been in, though she thought it would be more exposed to the outside, more like a crawlspace. Halpin said she became aware of Emanuel's house being for rent by seeing a listing online in June 2009. she made an appointment to see the place through an agent, she said, and spent 30 to 45 minutes looking it over.Halpin said she thought the home was lovely and asked if it was for sale. the agent said it wasn't but "it may be in the future."Emanuel's lawyers contend it never was for sale and it always was the candidate's intent to return to Chicago and the house. Emanuel testified Tuesday that he "never" considered selling.Halpin also testified that a real estate manager called her in may of this year to ask if the Halpins wanted to renew the lease."I said yes we would," she recalled. "It would be great for us not to have to move."the manager called in September with what he called "highly confidential" news. Emanuel was running for mayor and wanted to return to the house. But the couple decided against breaking their lease."I didn't want to move. I didn't want to have to pack up and move," she said. "It's a lovely home."As she left, Halpin was asked by reporters if she thought Emanuel was being truthful about the basement boxes. "I can't presume to say whether he was or wasn't, I just know what's in my basement," she said. As for her testimony about a wall behind some shelves that could lead to another area, she said in her opinion, "it's an outside wall, it leads to the outside of the house."she said she has never taken down the shelves and tried to remove paneling but "it leads to an outside wall. It's a big, thick foundation wall."she said if it comes to it, election authorities and even the media are welcome to look in the basement. she also addressed her husband's candidacy, saying it was the decision of a businessman who was not satisfied with how politicians are doing. she denied anyone is paying her family and said she is a registered Democrat who volunteered for Obama. she was asked what she thinks of her swing through the local political world. "Welcome to Chicago," she answered. Before the testimony started, hearing officer Joseph Morris fielded several complaints from citizen objectors who had questioned Emanuel as their own lawyers. the group felt they had been characterized in media reports as clowns and "rejects from 'the Price is Right.'""We have feelings," objector Gilda Walker said. "We're committed to this process."Objector "Queen Sister" Georzetta Deloney challenged the media to stop making fun of her behind her back, saying that from there "You're in a real good position to kiss my butt."Emanuel spent nearly 12 hours in the witness chair at the hearing Tuesday, and had testified that the Halpins declined an offer he made to buy them out of their lease early. He is now renting an apartment on North Milwaukee Avenue.Opponents to Emanuel’s candidacy believe he should be removed from the ballot because he does not meet the statutory requirement that candidates reside in Chicago for a year prior to an election. Emanuel contends his time as White House chief of staff was federal service, making him exempt from the requirement, and points out that he never sold his Chicago home and that he is a registered voter here.He seemed no worse for the wear Tuesday after wrapping up his questioning, which saw him quizzed for hours by Chicago activists and citizens who sometimes went far afield from the issues in the election case. Emanuel said he was happy to get back to focusing on city priorities and speaking with voters.“I participated in a process (and) answered the questions to the best of my ability, but the most important thing, and what I think is my takeaway, is the city of Chicago, its future, is worth fighting for,” he said as he left the hearing Tuesday night.Morris will make a recommendation to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners in the coming days.

In other mayoral news, candidate William "Dock" Walls dropped his residency challenge against better-known candidate, state Sen. James T. Meeks, avoiding another hearing at the election board today.

Clout St: Emanuel residency hearing: What’s in Rahm’s basement?