http://chicago.straightdope.com/sdc20101202.php
Seems reasonable to me that he's a Chicago resident.
I'm not so sure about that. The law your author cites as proof Rahm is eligible doesn't seem to cvover his situation as clearly as the author would have us believe.
Going back to the law that he quotes, I see a requirement that candidates must be residents of the district for a year prior to the election. An exception is given if you maintain a permanent abode in your home district but are physically away from the district on government business.
This makes sense, and it's something commonly done by congresscritters and the like. They rent a room in DC to stay in while working, but they keep their families, possessions, and homes in their old districts. They frequently return home for weekends and breaks. They quite clearly remain residents of their home districts, even while they're out of town on government business.
In fact, this is exactly what Rahm himself did when he was a Congressman before becoming Barry's #2. He had a small apartment in DC, but his main home, his stuff, and his family were all in Chicago.
But when he took the Chief of Staff job, he packed up his old house and moved his possessions and family out to DC. He took out a long term lease on his new home in DC, and he gave up his old Chicago house on another long term lease. He left nothing of substance behind in Chicago except some of the furniture and the books in the library, which in context can probably be considered as features of the leased house more so than personal possessions.
The lawyers will wrangle, and this is still Chicago where political power always trumps the law. But based on the law I've seen, Rahm's flat out ineligible. He didn't just spend time out of town while on government business, he picked up and moved away, gave up his abode and thus his residency status.
