Elections attorney Perry Abbasi, representing an objector to State Rep. LaShawn Ford’s ballot petition to run for 29th Ward Committeeman, says the Chicago Board of Elections will remove Ford from the Committeeman ballot when it meets on Tuesday. Abbasi, who is representing long-time West Side operative Tommy Simmons in the objection, and is paid by Ald. Chris Taliaferro, says a Board of Elections Administrator shared a draft of his report on the Simmons objection, and will sustain it.

Ford turned in 2,229 signatures, but after Simmons’ objection only about 404 were sustained, says to Abbasi. 759 are needed to stay on the ballot. Ford could file a “Rule 20” request to appeal the ruling directly to the Board of Elections, but as of Friday afternoon he had not yet done so.

Ford also filed an objection to Taliaferro’s Committeeman ballot petition, but Abbasi reports the Board of Elections did not sustain enough objected signatures to knock Taliaferro off the ballot.

Ford says he’ll be talking with his attorney, Mike Kasper, to decide whether or not he’ll be filing a Rule 20 before Tuesday’s Board of Elections hearing. “I focused on making sure I had my State Rep. stuff and I relied on someone else to get my Committeeman signatures. I think he screwed me.”

If the Board of Elections removes Ford from the ballot and keeps Taliaferro on, Taliaferro will run unopposed for 29th Ward Democratic Committeeman. Former 29th Ward Ald. Deborah Graham, the incumbent, did not file for reelection.