Former Chicago Bear runs for mayor

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ROMEOVILLE, Ill., Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Former Chicago Bear Steve "Mongo" McMichael said he filed a petition to run for mayor of Romeoville, Ill., adding celebrity appeal to a three-way race.

McMichael, 55, will be running against former Mayor Fred Dewald, who resigned in 2008 months after pleading guilty to a drunken driving charge, and incumbent John Noak in an April 9 election, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday.

McMichael, a defensive lineman on the Bears' 1985 Super Bowl championship team, filed petitions at the village hall Wednesday.

"I've always relied on the counsel of the people who have been there before me," McMichael said.

McMichael began renting a condominium in Romeoville last April to meet residency requirements to run in the election, though he's been a presence in the community for two years when Mongo McMichael's Sports Bar opened, the Sun-Times reported.

He said the fact that the mayor also serves as liquor commissioner shouldn't be a conflict of interest because he does not own the bar or receive income from the business. He said he let friends use his name to open the bar and only received free drinks and food when he visits the establishment.

McMichael said he would appoint someone else as liquor commissioner if the public demanded it.

Romeoville is a town of about 40,000 in the suburbs southwest of Chicago.