Homeless man says he had help gathering signatures

Minister asked him to circulate petitions for Meeks, Halpin

BY MARK BROWN Sun-Times Columnist
Arthur Hardy Jr., the homeless man who signed all those nominating petitions for James Meeks and Rob Halpin, sat down with me for a couple of hours Wednesday to tell his side of the story.

Hardy said he didn't gather those 7,000 signatures himself, only a small portion of them, despite signing the sworn statement at the bottom of each petition declaring that all the signatures were signed in his presence.

That's against the law, but for reasons that should become easier to understand as we continue, let me say right up front that I certainly hope that if any law enforcement agencies take an interest in this matter that they aim a little higher than a homeless man trying to make some chump change.