Felon bounced from Cook County Board ballot

A former Chicago streets and sanitation commissioner was ruled ineligible for a run for a seat on the Cook County Board.

Al Sanchez was released from federal prison in July after serving time for rigging city hiring. His candidacy was challenged by critics who say though he’s out of prison he’s still on probation for his 2011 conviction. They say that meant his signature on filing documents as a registered voter wasn’t valid.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported the county’s electoral board agreed with that view Thursday. In recommending his removal from the ballot, hearing officer Barbara Goodman said whether a person is eligible to hold office must be made at the time he signs his statement of candidacy, not when he is sworn into office as contended by Sanchez.