Nine days before the historic election for Cincinnati mayor, voters are zeroing in on the choice of the day: Charlie or Courtis?

        In interviews last week with voters throughout the city, it's evident the electorate knows who the candidates are, an obvious but not always successful first step for a politician.

        Some have not decided on a candidate but all say they intend to vote. Personalities, race and experience appear to be carrying more weight than the candidates' positions on issues.

Luken

Fuller

        Voters on Nov. 6 will choose between Democratic incumbent Charlie Luken and Charterite challenger Courtis Fuller. It's the first direct election of a mayor in 76 years. The contest pits a white man versus an African-American in a city grappling with issues over race. And Mr. Fuller's 16-point victory over the more experienced Mr. Luken in the September primary may not be a true indicator of his support because it took place Sept. 11, the day of the terrorist attacks.

        The paltry primary voter turnout of less than 15 percent can be attributed, at least in part, to people like business owner Debbie Dalton of Mount Washington.

        “After what happened the morning of Sept. 11 I didn't feel like voting, I didn't feel like doing anything except hiding under my bed,” said Mrs. Dalton, 49, who operates Fantasia children's clothing shop on Beechmont Avenue, in the shadow of the neighborhood's landmark water tower.

        “I'm still undecided,” she said. “I'm going to vote, but I want somebody who is going to pay attention to the neighborhood business districts like we have here in Mount Washington.”

        Some voters haven't paid a lot of attention yet.

        “But I'm going to find out more about where the candidates stand before Election Day,” said Geoff Hoffman, 42 of Oakley, as he sorted Spider-Man comic books at his Queen City Comic & Card Co. at Ridge and Montgomery roads in Pleasant Ridge.

        “I especially want to hear more from Courtis Fuller,” Mr. Hoffman said. “I want to see what his stances are so I can get a better feel for him.”

Change in the air?

        Just across busy Montgomery Road, at the Hair It Is styling salon, Diana Ballard, 48, had her head under a hair dryer and her mind made up.

        “I think we can use a change in this city, and I'm going to support Courtis,” said Ms. Ballard, a Delta Air Lines flight agent and African-American who lives in a section of Roselawn that voted 132-20 for Mr. Fuller in the primary.

        “There is a problem in this city with racism and it's time for a new approach and some new ideas,” she said.

        Ms. Ballard acknowledged that she does not know a great deal about Mr. Fuller's politics or stances on the issues. Shethought he did a “competent” job as a television news anchor — the job at WLWT Channel 5 he left this year to run for mayor — and knows he attends a Baptist church in Lincoln Heights.

        “I'm not voting for him just because he's black,” Ms. Ballard said. “But I think we need somebody new and I guess he'll do as well as anybody else.”

        Ms. Ballard's comments mirrored those of others who support Mr. Fuller. They want a departure from Mr. Luken, who is part of a Cincinnati political dynasty in which his father, Tom, and his uncle, Jim, held the office of mayor.

        “Courtis is strong because he's not political,” said Malcolm Woods, 27, of Evanston, a neighborhood Mr. Fuller won in the primary with 598 votes to Mr. Luken's 73.

        “It's time for something new, and I think Courtis is it,” he said.

        Mr. Woods, an African-American, said race is a contributing but not determining factor in his support of Mr. Fuller.

        “I'm a Democrat,” he said. “I supported Charlie Luken in the past.”

Experience counts

        But the curfew Mr. Luken implemented in the days after the April riots hurt too many businesses, such as the downtown restaurant where he works, Mr. Woods said.

        “Businesses were already hurt by the riot,” he said. “So I don't understand why (Mr. Luken) put in the curfew. That just made things worse for businesses.”

        But other voters see Mr. Fuller's inexperience as a liability, opting instead for the more experienced incumbent.

        “I like Luken. He's done a good job,” said Westwood resident Harry Vonderhaar, 80, a retired truck driver, as he prepared to devour an order of ham and eggs at Crookshank Chili.

        “I don't have anything against Fuller,” he said. “I liked him on his TV program. I just don't think he has the experience to do the job.”

        In the four voting wards in and around Mr. Vonderhaar's west-side neighborhood, Mr. Luken enjoys some of his strongest support, beating Mr. Fuller there in the primary 218-56.

Neighborhood concerns

        Judy Williams, 48, of Westwood is leaning toward voting for Mr. Luken, whom she has supported in past elections.

        “I think he is doing the best job he can do under the circumstances,” Ms. Williams said as she waited for a load of wash at Western Hills Coin Laundry in Bridgetown.

        “He's been in a tough spot because of the riots,” she said. “A lot of people are down on him right now but he's doing the best he can do. And besides, Fuller's lack of experience is troubling to me.”

        Mr. Luken also ran strong in the primary in Mount Washington, the city's easternmost neighborhood and one he carried 703-226.

        “I think Luken has done a good job,” said Holly Tarte, 30, who was buying soft drinks at Mount Washington Ice & Beer Co. on Plymouth Avenue.

        “I don't have any real complaints, although I do think City Hall needs to pay more attention to the neighborhoods and not so much on the river and downtown,” she said. “We're starting to see more crime in Mount Washington, and that needs to be addressed with more police in the area.”

        Michelle Robinson, 34, of Madisonville, also wants more attention from the mayor and council for her neighborhood. Sitting on the porch of a Whetsel Avenue home with two neighbors, she pointed to a long row of vacant storefronts, many sporting boarded-up or broken windows.

        “Just look at this neighborhood,” she said. “We need some help getting new businesses, getting some activities for the kids and the senior citizens.

        “But we haven't been getting anything from Charlie Luken and city hall, so I'm voting for Fuller,” she said.

Race is a factor

        There is one other reason she likes Mr. Fuller — his race.

        “I'm mainly voting for him because he's black,” said Ms. Robinson, an African-American. “It's time we had a black man in charge because he understands the problems black people go through in this city with the police and the problems with black neighborhoods like this being ignored.”

        On Kennedy Heights' Dante Avenue, a cul-de-sac off Montgomery Road, Clyde Otis is also hoping for an African-American to be elected.

        “I like that because it's a fresh approach, and there are problems with racism in this city,” said Mr. Otis, 61, a retired computer programmer.

        “But I have doubts Courtis Fuller can win,” he said. “I don't think there are enough people ready for a black mayor and I'm afraid they won't give him a chance.”

        Blacks make up 43 percent of Cincinnati's population, but only 28.7 percent are of voting age, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Whites account for 52 percent of the population; 43 percent are of voting age.

        As he licked a Graeter's ice cream cone before it dripped on his blue pinstriped suit, Oakley resident David Leurck, 32, a partner in a real estate firm, said he is voting for Mr. Luken because of how he handles all races.

        “I really think Charlie Luken is trying to bring the city together,” Mr. Leurck said as stood in Hyde Park Square. “It was unfortunate, but anyone who goes through a crisis like the (April) riots is going to face some conflict.

        “But he is still looking out for the best interests of the entire community,” he said. “White, African-American, all of us, so we don't have the fear of ongoing violence in the streets.”

        An unknown is how many voters will turn out. In 1999, the last city election, 33 percent of registered voters cast ballots. Mr. Luken finished first in 19 of the city's 26 wards and either first, second or third in 23 wards.

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