David Crowley and David Pepper want Sam Britton.

Minette Cooper and Alicia Reece want Laketa Cole.

As of late Tuesday, that left John Cranley "officially undecided" about whom he would support to replace departing Democrat Paul Booth on Cincinnati City Council.

That's quite a turnabout from just 24 hours before, when Booth's appointment to a state job leaked out and Cranley immediately declared his support for Britton, who seemed a shoo-in.

Cooper and Reece learned of Booth's appointment in Tuesday's paper and said they were flabbergasted that Democrats had apparently decided on Britton without consulting the two remaining African-American members.

So Cranley retreated, saying he miscalculated Britton's support on council by assuming Reece would never support Cole, a protege of former Mayor Dwight Tillery.

Reece was the only black incumbent who did not get the endorsement of Tillery's African-American Political Caucus in 2001.

Cranley, the only remaining Democrat who himself has been appointed through the same process, now says he wants to keep an open mind.

Britton is a former state representative from Madisonville who was term-limited last year. His supporters say he's a Democratic stalwart with valuable connections in Columbus.

Cole, who also worked as an aide in Booth's office, ran a strong independent campaign after being left off the Democratic ticket in 2001.

"Laketa Cole ran tenth without any endorsement," Cooper said. "How do the Democrats ignore somebody who ran as well as she did - without any of their money and without their sample ballot?"

Booth is remaining neutral - so far. He knows that once he steps down, it's impossible to dictate who his successor is.

Todd Portune found that out in 2000, when he left for the Hamilton County Commission and pushed for Scott Seidewitz to replace him. Democrats, led by Mayor Charlie Luken, picked Cranley instead.

This is the first vacancy under the stronger mayor system, so Luken no longer has a vote.

But if the council Democrats can't make a decision within 60 days of Booth's resignation - which appears unlikely - Luken gets to make the pick.

Booth is expected to be sworn in to his new job on the State Personnel Board of Review April 9.

There is one other possible scenario: Booth could, at any time before he leaves council, amend his successor designation certificate to allow just one council member to make the pick, giving him more influence over who's selected. But Booth said Monday he would not do that.

Class struggle: In a draft motion circulated to his council colleagues this week, Pepper calls for the Black United Front to call off the boycott or be removed as a party to the Collaborative Agreement.

Pepper, a Fourth Street lawyer, made this argument in a six-page legal analysis: As the class representative for all African-American victims of racial profiling, the Black United Front has an obligation to work to implement reforms.

Instead, the front's president, the Rev. Damon Lynch III says the city is "moving backward," and that Cincinnati is "the Birmingham of 2003."

Pepper says Lynch's dual missions are incompatible, and the city should ask U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott to remove his group as class representative - effectively shutting the BUF out of the collaborative.

Pepper confirmed Tuesday that he wrote the motion, but said he won't introduce it this week after all. It's unclear whether it was because of a lack of support.

"I stand behind every word of the motion," he said.

"The conflict has become as plain as day and cannot continue for the good of the collaborative."

Plaintiff's lawyer Al Gerhardstein, at City Hall Tuesday to argue against a resolution on partial-birth abortion, shrugged off Pepper's efforts.

"I'm not going to comment on what the city wants to do," he said.

Tough choice: Cincinnati City Council has always been a hospitable venue for anti-abortion resolutions, but a pro-life proposal by Chris Monzel may be in trouble.

Monzel's resolution would ask Congress to support a partial-birth abortion ban bill proposed by Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati.

But some who might ordinarily support it - like Booth and Jim Tarbell - say they're troubled by language that describes Dayton Dr. Martin Haskell, who developed the procedure and has a Cincinnati clinic, as "evil."

The resolution comes up for a vote today.

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