The Republicans have no candidate for Cincinnati mayor yet, but they do have something they have never had before in a City Council campaign — an African-American majority on the GOP slate.

        The Hamilton County Republican Party's executive committee Wednesday endorsed three African-American men as their non-incumbent council candidates, in addition to incumbents Pat DeWine and Chris Monzel.

        The three challengers are:

Jones	Ward
Malone

        • Avondale Community Council president Tom Jones, who built a reputation in the predominately black neighborhood as a street activist battling drug dealers; it will be his first run for public office.

        • Todd Ward, a 35-year-old tax specialist for the Ernst and Young accounting firm, who ran unsuccessfully four years ago.

        • Sam Malone, a 30-year-old Bond Hill resident who is business development director at Westwood Homestead Savings Bank. Mr. Malone ran as an independent candidate in 1999, finishing 18th in a 20-candidate field.

        The Republicans will run their slate in a city that has been becoming increasingly Democratic in local elections and has a population that, according to the new census figures, is 43 percent black.

        Hamilton County GOP vice chairman Chip Gerhardt said the Republicans may add more candidates before the Aug. 23 filing deadline.

        “We're going to continue to talk to people about council,” Mr. Gerhardt said.

        One priority for the GOP will be finding a woman to run for council. The party has not had an all-male slate since the 1960s.

        Mr. Ward, who finished 15th in an 18-candidate field in 1997, said he thinks he will do better this time because he has more time to organize.

        “The last time, I didn't get started until August,” Mr. Ward said. “This gives me more time to organize and get my message out.”

        Mr. Malone ran without party backing in 1999 and lobbied hard for the GOP endorsement this time.

        “I want to raise a lot of basic issues about services and how people live and work in neighborhoods,” Mr. Malone said.

        Mr. Jones could not be reached for comment.

        Party leaders say they also plan to run a candidate for mayor, although, at this point, they have no idea who that would be.

        This year will mark the first direct election of a Cincinnati mayor in more than 75 years. Democrat incumbent Charlie Luken is running. The Republicans and the Charter Committee, Cincinnati's third political party, have until June 28 to come up with mayoral candidates to run in the Sept. 11 mayoral primary.

        With the departure of the term-limited Charlie Winburn earlier this year, the GOP was left with no black council members.

        Some political leaders in the black community were upset when, after Mr. Winburn resigned to take an appointment to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the party appointed a white Republican, Mr. Monzel.

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