Many have noticed the yard sign on East McMicken that says “Vote the Black Slate.” But what does it mean? And who's behind it?

        It turns out the Black Slate Inc. is a political action arm of the Rev. Albert B. Cleage Jr.'s Church of the Black Madonna in Detroit, formed to help get Coleman Young elected mayor there in 1989.

        Today, the group has chapters in Houston and Atlanta — but not Cincinnati, said field operations director Baye Landy.

        He surmises that someone from Cincinnati took home a yard sign after a recent trip to Detroit.
       • • •

        Everywhere a sign: The election violations, they are a-piling up in Lebanon.

        City Council challenger Gary Casimir, who for months has hounded city officials every time he felt they violated the city charter, is on the receiving end of the nit-picking this time.

        His signs say “Paid for by Gary M. Casimir,” but they do not include his address, as Elections Board Director Bev Moore says they must.

        The elections board also has received complaints about incomplete or missing disclaimers on signs for Councilwoman Amy Brewer and Lebanon school board candidates Walt Davis and David Armold.

        Typically, when she notifies candidates of violations, they quickly make the necessary changes to the signs, Ms. Moore said.

        “It really isn't that easy for the candidates, especially on the local level,” to familiarize themselves with every facet of campaign requirements, she said.

        Still, it's interesting that no sign complaints have been submitted in any other Warren County races, including the heated, crowded Deerfield and Mason races.
       • • •

        Sign snafu: Cincinnati mayoral candidate Courtis Fuller's staff admits a similar gaffe on its most recent run of yard signs.

        The signs being put up since Oct. 13 don't say who paid for them, in violation of election law.

        But that's not all. They're also printed only on one side, and the color scheme is all wrong. They're supposed to be gold and black, but the gold ended up looking more like bronze.

        Fuller spokeswoman Donna Rogers said she didn't order the signs, but she took responsibility for the mistake.

        “I'm usually the one who makes sure that we don't let so much as a photocopy leave the office without a disclaimer on it,” she said.

        Many of the signs have now been affixed with a sticker with the campaign committee's name.
       • • •

        Pepper game: Some observers have noticed a subtle change in Cincinnati City Council candidate David Pepper's yard signs.

        The first 1,000 signs he produced used his “Just add Pepper” slogan. When he ordered additional signs, he changed them to “Vote Pepper.”

        Why the change? Mr. Pepper said he wanted voters to understand that “Pepper” was the name of the candidate — and that he wasn't simply suggesting that City Council be sprinkled with ground peppercorns.

        Enquirer reporter Cindi Andrews contributed.
       

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