Councilman Pat DeWine erupted, hanging up on City Manager Valerie Lemmie and Mayor Charlie Luken.

Screaming, he had accused Mr. Luken of not having the courage to stand up to the city's police union. Mr. Luken did get one word in edgewise: He accused Mr. DeWine of acting like former Councilman Charlie Winburn.

Thus began the course of events that will reach a dramatic crescendo today as Cincinnati City Council votes on the Fraternal Order of Police contract - a vote that's by no means certain.

Mr. DeWine was a key supporter of a civil service reform measure passed by voters as an amendment to the city charter last year. He believes the city manager bargained away the will of the voters when her agreement with the FOP failed to remove assistant chiefs from union protections.

Ms. Lemmie, whose honeymoon is officially over, says the city tried and failed to get the FOP to agree to language implementing Issue 5. But Deputy City Solicitor Bob Johnstone refused to release copies of that proposed language, even while citing two court cases holding that it's a public record. Ms. Lemmie did not return calls Tuesday.

Mr. DeWine has seen the city's proposals. He said the city never even tried to get language on dismissal of assistant chiefs changed.

Give Mr. DeWine credit for one thing: There are no political points to be gained in picking a battle with the FOP.

It's such a hot potato that Mayor Luken will introduce it directly to council today, because no committee chairman wanted it.

Finance Committee Chairman John Cranley, a graduate of Harvard Law School, insists he can't figure the issue out.

David Crowley, who's been the police union's public enemy No. 1, said he actually supports the contract. "But Keith Fangman can still go to hell," he said of the FOP's vice president.

Mr. Luken said some council members would prefer that the issue not come up, but he will nonetheless push for a vote.

"Frankly, I don't think this issue is going to get better. It's just going to get older," he said.

Sharpton/Reece in '04? Vice Mayor Alicia Reece cozied up to the Rev. Al Sharpton at the recent National League of Cities conference in Salt Lake City.

After being introduced as "the next president of the United States," the New York civil rights leader said the Democratic Party needs to stop taking African-American voters for granted and should push for investments in infrastructure to jump-start the economy.

"Rev. Sharpton hit the nail on the head. We need to reinvest in America," Ms. Reece told the Associated Press.

Unchartered: Former City Manager Jerry Newfarmer has served his time as president of the Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati.

The new president is former playwright Michael Goldman, son of Charterite parents and veteran of campaigns for Bobbie Sterne and Dawn Denno for City Council and, most recently, Bruce Whitman for Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas.

News from elsewhere: As his replacement starts work as monitor of the Cincinnati police reform agreements, Dr. Alan Kalmanoff must content himself with stirring up controversy in Snohomish, Wash.

There, sheriff's deputies say his $140,000 report "did not tell us anything we didn't already know," the Everett, Wash., Herald reported Saturday.

City Hall reporter Gregory Korte can be reached at 768-8391 or gkorte@enquirer.com