EDISON PARK — A Chicago firefighter will stay in the race for the 41st Ward seat on the Chicago City Council after elections officials Friday dismissed a complaint that he had not collected enough signatures.
Anthony Napolitano said the ballot challenge was "nonsense" orchestrated by Ald. Mary O'Connor (41st).
The challenge "has actually made our support grow stronger," Napolitano said.
Joseph McGovern, an Edison Park resident who works at an investment bank, filed the complaint with the Chicago Board of Elections, saying Napolitano had not collected at least 473 signatures as required by law.
McGovern is married to Rita Staunton McGovern, the former executive director of the Edison Park Chamber of Commerce.
A longtime Edison Park resident, O'Connor, who owns two businesses, O'Connor's Market and Deli and Unforgettable Edibles catering, was president of the Edison Park chamber before becoming alderman in 2011.
Tim Nazanin, a spokesman for O'Connor, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The decision by elections officials Friday finalizes the 41st Ward ballot, with O'Connor facing Napolitano and Joe Lomanto, who owns two hardware stores, in her bid for a second term representing O'Hare, Norwood Park, Edison Park and Edgebrook.
In races where no candidate earns 50 percent of the votes cast on Feb. 24, a runoff between the top two candidates will take place April 7.
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