ALBANY PARK — The slate of candidates vying for 33rd Ward alderman is finally set after the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners ruled Monday on a pair of ballot objections.
Annisa Wanat, a nonprofit consultant, survived a challenge to her nominating petition and will square off against incumbent alderman Deb Mell and Tim Meegan, a teacher at Roosevelt High School, on election day, Feb. 24.
Tyler Solorio, a student and Army veteran, was dropped from the ballot.
Objections had been filed against both candidates claiming there were insufficient signatures gathered for their nominating petitions.
In Solorio's case, the Board of Election found that of the 821 signatures on his petition, 381 were invalid, leaving his number of valid signatures below the minimum requirement of 473.
"I will be involved in the election in other ways," Solorio told DNAinfo.com.
Wanat submitted 1,346 signatures, which were whittled down to 826 following a records examination that included scrutiny by a handwriting expert, according to Wanat.
With her total still well above the 473 threshold, the objection against Wanat was overruled and her name has been placed on Feb. 24 ballot.
Wanat noted that Board of Election staff spent at least 25 hours evaluating her petition.
And "my objection was one of the more simple of the 184 objections filed," she said.
In 2007 and 2011 races, the percentage of candidates who were successfully kicked off the ballot was about 28 to 29 percent, according to AlderTrack figures.
The three remaining 33rd Ward candidates will outline their positions on the issues at a community forum scheduled for Jan. 27.
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