Cincinnati voters already took care of one of the most important decisions when they sifted two candidates for mayor onto the Nov. 8 ballot out of the seven hopefuls who vied for the slots in the Sept. 13 primary.

State Sen. Mark Mallory (D-West End) and City Councilman David Pepper, both Democrats, came out on top by winning 31 percent of the vote each. Of 43,261 ballots cast, Pepper led by just 215 votes (see "I Will Survive" at citybeat.com).

But in addition to sussing out which of those two candidates will be mayor, voters have a full slate of other decisions to make in the Nov. 8 general election.

In one of the most visible races, Cincinnati voters will choose nine candidates from a field of 31 seeking two-year terms on city council. At least two seats are guaranteed to non-incumbents, as Pepper and Vice Mayor Alicia Reece both gave up their council seats to run in the mayoral primary, a gamble that paid off for Pepper.

There are a handful of candidates running for the second time after losing in 2003 council elections. Charterite Nick Spencer will see if there will be a reprise 2003 role as the young creative class media darling. The Rev. Damon Lynch III missed the ninth seat by 949 votes in 2003 but has yet to make himself visible in this year's race.

There's also Leslie Ghiz, the Republican firebrand whom the local GOP passed over for a council seat left open when former Councilman Pat DeWine won election to the Hamilton County Commission. Instead of Ghiz, the GOP appointed Chris Monzel, who this year will have to overcome a recent history of losing the council seat to which he was first appointed.

The GOP also surprised the talking heads by endorsing incumbent Councilman Sam Malone, in spite of his May 14 arrest for misdemeanor child abuse for whipping his 14-year-old son with a leather belt. Malone's seat looks even shakier without a Republican in the mayor's race to lead the party slate; the GOP-endorsed candidate, the Rev. Charlie Winburn, failed to make the cut in the primary.

If there were any doubt that local politics is a family affair, consider this: Cincinnati voters will find two Cranleys on the ballot, incumbent Councilman John Cranley running for re-election while his mother, Susan Cranley, seeks a spot on the school board. The son of former Mayor Ted Berry is running for judge in Hamilton County Municipal Court. The son of retired Common Pleas Judge William S. Mathews is running for city council. So is the nephew of former Mayor Arn Bortz.

But birds of a feather also wed: First-time council candidate Samantha Herd just married the executive director of the Ohio Democratic Party.

Here is a roundup of the players, races and amendments on the Nov. 8 ballot.

City Council
Council members can serve up to four two-year terms. The 31 council candidates, by party endorsement, are:

Democrats

· Jeff Berding, director of sales and public affairs for the Cincinnati Bengals (www.jeffberding.com)

· Eve Bolton, a former Hamilton County Recorder and teacher who lost a bid last year for Hamilton County Commissioner (www.evebolton.com)

· Laketa Cole, incumbent (www.laketacole.com)

· John Cranley, incumbent (www.johncranley.com)

· David Crowley, incumbent (www.crowleyforcouncil.com)

· Samantha Herd, legislative aide for State Rep. Tyrone Yates (D-Cincinnati) and Mayor Charlie Luken's former chief of staff (www.followtheherd.org)

· The Rev. Damon Lynch III, Over-the-Rhine pastor and activist running for the second time (www.damonlynch.com)

· Cecil Thomas, former director of the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission and former president of the Sentinels Police Association (www.cecilthomas.com)

· Wendell Young, a former city cop who retired as a Metropolitan Sewer District official

Republicans

· Sam Malone, incumbent

· Chris Monzel, incumbent (www.monzel.com)

· Leslie Ghiz, labor attorney (www.leslieghiz.com)

· John Eby, former Westwood Civic Association board member (www.johneby.com)

Charterites

· Chris Bortz, general counsel and special projects director for family business Towne Properties (www.chrisbortz.com)

· Christopher Smitherman, incumbent (www.smithermanforcouncil.com)

· Nick Spencer, Over-the-Rhine bar owner (www.spencer2005.com)

· Jim Tarbell, incumbent running for his final term (www.jimtarbell.com)

Independents

· The Rev. Bill Barron (www.revbillbarron.org)

· Bennie Green

· Antonio Hodge

· Gerry Kraus, environmental activist and member of North Avondale Neighborhood Association

· William S. Mathews II

· Paul McGhee, entrepreneur and former Avondale Community Council president (www.paulmcghee.com)

· Ishaq Nadir, Avondale Community Council trustee and activist

· Michael Earl Patton, Oakley activist

· Victor Phillips, youth pastor and activist for the mentally disabled (www.vphillipsforcouncil.tripod.com)

· Ronnie Stallsworth

· Curtis Wells

· Robert Wilking, member of Oakley Community Council who works at a staffing firm (www.robertwilking.com)

· Eric Wilson, running for the third time (www.wilsonforcincinnati.com)

· Robert Wilson, student at UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and member of the Air National Guard (www.wilsonforcincy.com)

Cincinnati School Board

The board is made up of seven citizens elected to four-year terms. This year six candidates shoot for four open slots:

· Melanie Bates, incumbent

· Susan Cranley (www.susancranley.com)

· William Haase

· Catherine Ingram, incumbent

· Eileen Cooper Reed

· Harriet Russell, incumbent

Municipal Court

There are six contested races for judge of Hamilton County Municipal Court.

District 2: Rosalind Florez (R) vs. incumbent Cheryl Grant (D) (www.grantforjudge.com)

District 3 (to fill unexpired term): Ted Berry (D) vs. incumbent Kendal Coes (R)

District 3: Fanon Rucker (D), who ran unsuccessfully for Hamilton County Prosecutor in 2004 (www.ruckerforjudge.com) vs. incumbent David Stockdale (R)

District 4: Martha Good (D) (www.goodforjudge.com) vs. incumbent Russell Mock (R)

District 4 (to fill unexpired term): Jerry Metz (D) (www.metzforjudge.com) vs. incumbent Julie Stautberg (R)

District 7: Jonathan Dameron (D) (www.dameronforjudge.com) vs. incumbent Lisa Allen (R)

Ballot Issues

Five state issues are on the ballot. Issue 1 is Gov. Bob Taft's Third Frontier Initiative, which proposes to "create jobs and stimulate economic growth" by issuing bonds up to $500 million to boost research and development and "to promote product innovation and commercialization." Voters defeated it in 2004.

The next four initiatives were placed on the ballot by a coalition called Reform Ohio Now, which aims to overhaul the way the state conducts elections (see "All the News That Fits," issue of Aug. 17-24).

Issue 2 allows any registered voter to cast an absentee vote during the 35 days before an election and then cast a provisional vote in case it hasn't been received by the board of elections by Election Day.

Issue 3 reforms campaign finance laws, reducing individual campaign contribution limits to $2,000 for statewide candidates and $1,000 for legislative candidates and banning corporate contributions entirely.

Issue 4 creates a bi-partisan statewide elections board to eliminate the convoluted, partisan gerrymandering of legislative district lines.

Issue 5 takes responsibility for overseeing elections from the very partisan Ohio Secretary of State and gives it to an independent elections board.

Voters will face two charter amendments in Cincinnati. One will allow voters to force council to vote on what are now automatic salary increases. The second is a repeat of last year's property tax repeal initiative, which voters rejected. ©