3 mayoral candidates — including 87-year-old grandma — booted from ballot

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The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners booted three mayoral candidates from the ballot Thursday, leaving 18 in the race to replace Rahm Emanuel — for now.

In agreeing with the findings of its hearing officers, the board decided Conrein Hykes Clark, Richard Mayers and Sandra Mallory won’t appear on the Feb. 26 ballot. Clark and Mayers didn’t meet the minimum requirement of 12,500 signatures and Mallory’s petition sheets were submitted in several bundles instead of the single, uniform package required by state election codes, the board said.

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Clark is an 87-year-old Roseland resident who volunteers four days a week at a Chinatown elementary school where they call her “Grandma Clark.” Mayers, a resident of the Southwest Side Clearing neighborhood, also filed to run for city clerk, city treasurer and 23rd Ward alderman. Mallory, a West Englewood resident, is a former local school council president and high school basketball and softball coach, and has worked as a security officer for the Chicago Public Schools.

Objection hearings will continue for mayoral and aldermanic candidates Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The board is tentatively planning to meet Jan. 2 to determine who will remain on the ballot and who can be trimmed off.

Among those still facing hearings are Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown, activist Ja’Mal Green and state Rep. LaShawn Ford.