Mayor Mallory Update
Yeah. I know he hasn't been elected yet but I wanted to see how Mayor Mallory sounded. I just left the press conference and it cleared up a number of thing. First, Mark Mallory announced that he is indeed running for Mayor. (I certainly hope he doesn't drop out of the race.) Second, Roxanne Qualls was at the press conference, she introduced Mallory, and she endorsed his candidacy. (So much for her getting into the race, unless Mallory drops out.) Third, according to cincynation.com, Mark Painter says he hasn't made up his mind about running for Cincinnati Mayor and says he will decide by January, 2004. Nick Spencer reports receiving an email from Judge Painter reading:
Korte's quotes were accurate. But I certainly didn't imply that I would not run. It's very early--we still have a presidential election in a few months. Mallory may or not end up running. I will decide by the first of the year.
(I'll have a little more on Judge Painter and his conflicts in a separte blog later today.)
A few things I noticed about the Mallory for Mayor press conference. He had a number of elected officials and former elected officials there. Besides Qualls and, of course, his dad, former State Rep. William Mallory, Sr., there was State Rep. Steve Driehaus (a young, conservative, westside, old school Democrat), former State Rep. Sam Britton, Cincinnati School Board member Melanie Bates, a current member of the Ohio Senate and current member of the Ohio General Assembly. The National Organization for Women's Cathy Helmbock was in the house. And failed Green Party council candidate Wes Flinn was present. (The question is can Helmbock and/or Flinn help mobilize votes and funds for Mallory?)
Who was absent? State Representatives Catherine Barrett and Tyrone Yates. (Catherine Barrett got the seat from Mallory and most people believe she wouldn't be there without the support of the Mallory family. Her abscence was noticable.) The Democrats on City Council (Alicia Reece, David Crowley, John Cranley, Laketa Cole, and David Pepper.) Mark's Democratic Party co-chair Tim Burke. No one from the Baptist Ministers' Conference, or the NAACP, or the Urban League, or any of the social service agencies. No one from the business community (even though Mark's Senate district covers most of downtown). No activists (unless you include me).
The best question (there were only three) came from the Post's Kevin Osborne about whether Mark would give up his position with the Democratic Party while running for Mayor. This is important because when Laketa Cole first ran for City Council, the Democrats made a big stink about her running while maintaining a position with the Cincinnati Democratic Committee. A little free advice for Mallory: you can't talk about building coalitions without fixing any issues you have with Laketa Cole and former Mayor Dwight Tillery. Mark would be wise to acknowledge that mistakes have been made in the Democratic Party (including the attacks on Cole) and offer Tillery an olive branch. Luken will use anything to divide Mallory from potential voters.
