Burris joins mayoral circus

Bounced out of the U.S. Senate, Roland Burris, a Chatham resident, landed in the middle of the race for Chicago mayor Monday when a group of supporters filed petitions to place him on the ballot just before the deadline.

The last time Burris heeded the siren's call of a draft movement for mayor, he got less than 40 percent against Mayor Richard Daley in 1995. When Burris said he might be drafted in 2008 for the U.S. Senate, Gov. Rod Blagojevich made him his controversial choice to fill the former seat of President Barack Obama.

It was unclear whether Burris would actually run this time, but his tentative step into a field of 20 candidates for mayor was the final act in a circus on the last day to enter the Feb. 22 city elections.

Burris' supporters said they delivered nearly 20,000 signatures. Chicagoan Toni Randle, a longtime Burris friend, said the outgoing senator knew of the efforts and wouldn't promise to run -- but he didn't stop it either.

"He kind of chuckled and said if this is what the community wants to do then by all means go for it," Randle said. "I think he will eventually bow to the will of the people. If the people want Roland Burris to be mayor then he will run for mayor."

Burris signed the statement of candidacy that was filed with the petitions and is weighing whether to run, a spokeswoman confirmed. Burris did not return telephone calls for comment.

Burris, 73, has faced nearly two years of controversy since accepting the Senate appointment from Blagojevich after the then-governor was charged with peddling the seat for personal and political gain.

Tagged with large legal debts and no campaign money, Burris declined to run for the Senate seat. He is about to be replaced by Republican Sen.-elect Mark Kirk, who won the Nov. 2 general election and a court-ordered special election to finish the last weeks of Obama's term.

While a Burris run seems unlikely, his candidacy could alter the political math among the top tier of contenders for mayor, which in addition to Meeks and Emanuel includes former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, former Chicago Board of Education President Gery Chico, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and City Clerk Miguel del Valle.

City election officials said the mayoral field is the largest in more than 50 years. But it almost certainly will shrink. Every candidate's petitions are subject to challenges and it's likely many will be contested by the Nov. 30 deadline. A minimum of 12,500 signatures of registered Chicago voters are required.

Challenges will be heard by the election board in December, though any decisions will be subject to appeal in the courts. The election board also can toss candidates if their petitions clearly do not conform to the law.