It's by no means scientific, and it only included nonincumbents, but a straw poll last week by the Coalition of Concerned Citizens for Justice had Laketa Cole leading the pack among challengers for Cincinnati City Council.

        Ms. Cole, who goes everywhere with at least three people wearing green and blue “Laketa Cole for City Council” T-shirts, insisted that there was no ballot box-stuffing involved. In fact, she said she didn't even know the group was taking a poll when she went to its candidates' forum Sept. 27.

        Following Ms. Cole were Nate Livingston Jr., Eric Wilson, Ken Anderson, Clarence Williams III, William Kirkland, Sam Malone, Akiva Freeman and John Schlagetter.

        In order, that's six independents, a Republican, a Democrat, and a Charterite.

        What do they all have in common?

        “Those running at the top of the list really want change,” Ms. Cole said. “We might not all go about it the same way, but we all want change.”

        The coalition is one of several black activist groups that has sprouted up this year. About 200 people participated in the straw poll.

       “Re-” removed: When is it an election-law violation to ask voters to re-elect you? When you were not elected to start with.

        Lebanon City Councilwoman Jane Davenport was informed by the Warren County Board of Elections on Monday that she must change her yard signs. They say “Re-elect Jane Davenport,” but she actually was appointed to her seat in 2000, after Councilman Joe McKenzie resigned.

        The elections board investigated after receiving a written complaint from John McComb, a businessman and former councilman.

        Mrs. Davenport said she will mark out the “re-” on signs that already have been posted.

        Elections Director Bev Moore said the board usually gets only a couple complaints of campaign violations per season.

       Flip-flop flap: Courtis Fuller took advantage of his opponent's so-called “flip-flop” on the police staffing issue this week, sending out a fax that accused Mayor Charlie Luken of “political indecisiveness.”

        Mr. Luken supported a plan to add 75 police officers to the force, then signed a motion to delay a decision until after the election, and then voted last week to go ahead and hire them anyway.

        But if Mr. Fuller would have voted any differently, he's not saying. Campaign spokeswoman Donna Rogers said Mr. Fuller doesn't have to decide on any specific plan, because he's not on City Council.

        She said Mr. Fuller's platform has been consistent: He supports making the Violent Crimes Task Force a permanent part of the Police Division. But as for staffing levels, the platform says only: “The staffing needs of the police department will also be reviewed to determine if additional law enforcement, including foot and bike patrols in neighborhoods, is necessary and feasible.”

        That led some in Mr. Luken's camp to acknowledge that Mr. Fuller has indeed been consistent — consistently vague.

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