Riverdale Mayor Lawrence Jackson filed a petition Monday to run for re-election in February’s Democratic main, however he’ll face two challengers. Three trustees additionally filed for re-election, however face challenges within the village board race.
Michael Airhart and Rena Poulos will problem Jackson, who was charged final yr with perjury and obstruction of justice in U.S. District Court for allegedly mendacity in a civil deposition about accepting hush cash for his trucking enterprise from a serious waste transport firm.
Poulos couldn’t instantly be reached for remark, however he introduced his marketing campaign in September through means of social communication with the message of “revitalizing Riverdale with integrity and imaginative and prescient collectively.”
Airhart, a longtime resident who runs the nonprofit Taste for the Homeless, mentioned he believes he has acquired “indicators from God” to run and restore confidence within the mayor’s workplace.
“His time is up,” Airhart mentioned of Jackson. “You’ve had loads of time to take Riverdale to a brand new degree: eight years. Since I’ve been on Riverdale, I have never seen something for seniors, no applications, no nothing… You have to step apart and provides another person an opportunity to take it to that degree.
Airhart, who grew up within the tasks of Chicago’s South Side, mentioned his background on the floor could not point out he’s the proper particular person to convey change to the village of about 10,000 folks.
“I grew up in a gang, I additionally offered medication and was convicted for it,” Airhart mentioned. “The world must know there’s nothing to cover with this.”
However, Airhart mentioned he has since labored to create constructive change by offering groceries and cooked meals to homeless folks in Chicago and the southern suburbs. He and his spouse Pamela had been honored by the White House final yr for his or her efforts.
Jackson’s indictment alleged that the mayor and his spouse based their trucking firm, Centennial Holdings, in 2018 regardless of realizing nothing concerning the enterprise and never placing up any capital. The enterprise was run by James and Kelly Bracken, house owners of Riverdale Materials LLC, which was sued in 2018 by a competing firm that mentioned Jackson gave the corporate particular remedy in his place as mayor. The indictment accuses Jackson of mendacity on the stand in the course of the proceedings in that case.
Jackson couldn’t be reached Wednesday for touch upon the pending litigation or his resolution to run for an additional time period as village president. His jury trial will start in September.
The Illinois State Board of Elections web site exhibits that Jackson’s board of elections reported practically $40,000 in income for the latest July-September quarter, and had about $37,000 readily available on the finish of September. Airhart’s marketing campaign had $100 in income for a similar interval and had $47 readily available on the finish of the quarter.
In addition to the mayor, trustees Gregory Lewis, Erik LeVere and Bradley Smith, in addition to village clerk Karen Holcomb, are working to maintain their seats. Betty Ervin-Robinson is difficult Holcomb, and Kenneth Williams, Pamela Henning, Rasheena Thomas and Michael A. Smith are working for village trustee.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
