A vote 17 years ago isn't going to keep Cincinnati's mayor from buying a house in the West End.

        The Ohio Ethics Commission has given Charlie Luken the green light to purchase a townhouse that city lawyers advised him to steer clear of because of a potential conflict of interest.

        “The ethics commission used a little bit of common sense,” Mr. Luken said Wednesday. “(City lawyers) were just ... trying to protect me.”

Luken

        Lawyers had already rejected Mr. Luken's first choice for a house in the West End several months ago, saying his vote on improvements to the area last year could be seen as a personal benefit.

        But when they told him his second choice, a townhouse on Elizabeth STreet, listed at $129,000, should also be ruled out because of a vote when he served on council in 1985. Mr. Luken asked for a ruling from the state.

        In 1985, Mr. Luken voted to waive property taxes in the area to encourage growth and development. Because the abatement has seven more years to go, Mr. Luken offered to pay the property taxes if it would solve the problem.

        The state says he doesn't have to.

        “Because of the significant break in your service to the City of Cincinnati, (state law) does not prohibit you from taking advantage of a tax exemption,” David Freel, ethics commission executive director, said in a nine-page opinion.

        Mr. Luken said he wants to live in the West End because he likes being downtown and close enough to walk to City Hall.

        And he said he is unconcerned by last week's riots, which swept through the neighborhood.

        “I was interested in this neighborhood six months ago and nothing's changed,” he said. “If people take a signal from this, then that's OK.”

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