Cincinnati's Charter Committee failed in an attempt to recruit a Channel 5 anchor to run for mayor this year against a former colleague, Charlie Luken.

        Courtis Fuller, who has been at WLWT for 19 years, was approached recently by officials of the Charter Committee, Cincinnati's independent political party, and asked whether he would be interested in challenging Mr. Luken in this year's mayor's race, the first direct election for mayor in Cincinnati in more than 75 years.

        Mr. Fuller said he found the offer interesting and might seek a seat on council or the mayor's office in the future, but not this year.

        “It's something I've thought about doing, but the time is not right,” said Mr. Fuller, an African-American who is active in a number of community organizations.

        For the TV journalist, there were two immediate problems:

        • He hasn't lived in Cincinnati since 1997, when he moved to Springfield Township.

        • He is still under contract to WLWT.

        Two years ago, Mr. Luken had to wait until his contract as a news anchor with Channel 5 expired before he could announce his candidacy for city council, where he had served in the 1980s.

        Mr. Fuller said he could have moved back into the city to circulate petitions and file as a candidate by the June 28 deadline for mayoral candidates, but decided it was “too much in too short a time.”

        Gerald Newfarmer, a former city manager who is president of the Charter Committee, said he believes Mr. Fuller would have been a formidable candidate against Mr. Luken, whom some see as vulnerable in the wake of the rioting that gripped Cincinnati last month and the continuing problems of race relations.

        “I think Courtis would be a really great political leader,” Mr. Newfarmer said. “He is not just a talking head.”

        Mr. Fuller has been involved in public issues in the past. He led an effort to convince Cincinnati officials to name a West End street after Derrick Turnbow, an honors student who was accidently shot and killed while trying to break up a fight near Taft High School.

        In 1997, he successfully lobbied the city and the Cincinnati Reds to honor the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color line in Major League Baseball.

        But he said it is highly unlikely that he will be a candidate for anything this year, leaving the Charterites and their counterparts in the Republican Party scrambling to come up with mayoral candidates by the June 28 deadline.

        Mr. Newfarmer said that Charterite Councilman Jim Tarbell — a frequent critic of Mr. Luken in recent weeks — has expressed interest in a possible run for mayor, but said neither the councilman nor Charter has made a final decision.

        One independent candidate has filed — Bill Brodberger, the owner of a Roselawn private security company who has never run for office.

        The Republicans have talked to a number of potential candidates, including Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell and Councilman Phil Heimlich, both of whom have said they won't run.

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