Following Wednesday’s guilty verdict in Riverdale Mayor Lawrence Jackson’s trial for perjury and obstruction of justice, the village trustees will have to select an acting mayor until the next municipal election.
According to Illinois law, any person who has been convicted of a felony is automatically ineligible to hold public office unless they are pardoned or receive a restoration of rights from the governor. The statute says that a qualifying guilty plea or verdict constitutes an automatic resignation.
An attorney representing the village confirmed the mayor’s position is now officially vacant following the verdict, and said the Riverdale Village Board would have to select an acting mayor from among its ranks to serve until the April 2027 municipal election.
That will happen at an upcoming special board meeting that has not yet been scheduled.
Jackson was just reelected in April, and has served less than a year of his fourth term. Per state law, when a vacancy opens in a four-year elected position with more than 28 months remaining in the term, and there are more than 130 days before the next general municipal election, then that position will be filled at that election.
Rena Poulos, one of two primary challengers who ran against Jackson for mayor in February, said in an email statement that Riverdale was at a turning point.
“Riverdale is at a critical crossroads,” Poulos said. “As someone who has lived in this village since 1989, I have witnessed firsthand how our community has changed. I have seen safety decline, services fall apart, and years of instability and mismanagement weaken the trust of residents.”
Poulos said that she was “absolutely prepared” to run for mayor again in the special election.
“This moment is not just about a change in leadership,” Poulos said. “It is an opportunity for a fresh start. Riverdale needs ethical, prepared, community centered leadership that understands where we have been and has a clear plan for where we must go. I remain committed to being that leader and to helping move our village toward a safer, stronger, and more united future.”
Following the Wednesday conviction, Michael A. Smith, a former Dixmoor trustee, announced on Facebook he will run for mayor in the special election. Smith specified in the post that he had no convictions that would bar him from holding the office. Smith pleaded guilty to attempting to resist arrest in 2016, while a Dixmoor trustee, and was sentenced to six months of court supervision.
Smith’s post received a message of support from former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard, who also has ongoing legal challenges related to her own time in office.
Smith ran for Riverdale trustee in an at-large election in February, but lost to the three sitting trustees seeking reelection.
“I’ve already completed a full background check confirming that I have no convictions or disqualifications that would bar me from running for public office,” Smith said in the post. “I believe in being fully transparent with the people I serve — because integrity must start at the top.”
Smith said that he was happy about the conviction, but that it “puts a black eye on Riverdale” in the eyes of potential residents and developers.
“I knew that Jackson would be convicted,” Smith said. “I just knew it was just a matter of time.”
Jackson’s conviction is the latest trouble for a municipality that has seen more than its share. In 2015
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, a real estate developer named John Thomas was sentenced to five years in federal prison after being convicted of fraud for stealing more than $375,000 in taxpayer money from Riverdale that was intended for the development of a marina along the Little Calumet River.A sentencing date for Jackson has not yet been scheduled, and one will not be set until all post-trial motions have been ruled on.