On Feb. 2, Mayor Charlie Luken announced in his State of the City Address that he had "rethought" managed competition, and would change the city's focus from privatization toward looking for cost savings internally.

Three days later, City Manager Valerie Lemmie awarded a $3,000 check to a group of employees who had used the managed competition process to have an outside company manage the city's fleet of street sweepers, saving city taxpayers $206,000.

Is there a disconnect here?

"It's comical. Here we have the city manager implicitly acknowledging the only way to improve city services is through competition, and then we have the mayor saying we're going to scrap one of the few programs at City Hall that we know works," said Councilman Pat DeWine.

David Pepper, another supporter of managed competition, said the award shows the process is working. "I'm not surprised it won. Bottom line, it was a great bid," Pepper said. "And it was the competitive process that led to a better bid."

Luken did not return calls seeking comment. Aides said the new process - which Councilman David Crowley expects to introduce today - would lead to the same kinds of innovation without threatening the jobs of city employees.

City employees who won the top award, sponsored by the Murray and Agnes Seasongood Good Government Foundation, were: Lee Roy Carson, Robert Hall, Peggy Jones, Donna McKinney, Randy Moore, Michelle Nash, Charles Dorcas, Charlene Ware and Diane Watkins.

Other awards went to employees who designed the Broadway Garage, which was built six months ahead of schedule and $250,000 under budget; and Health Department employees who put together an in-house training program saving $137,800 over outside consultants.

THE BANDWAGON: Mayor Luken officially endorsed Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry for the Democratic nomination for president Tuesday.

Luken met Kerry at the International Association of Fire Fighters conference in Washington last year. Kerry, like Luken, has long enjoyed the support of the firefighters union.

But with the Ohio primary now just three weeks away, other City Council Democrats have been slow to sign on. John Cranley said he'll endorse "anybody who can beat Bush." Laketa Cole is undecided, as is Alicia Reece (whose father, Steven Reece, supports former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean).

David Crowley supported Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt, who dropped out the day after the Iowa caucuses. He now says he'll support North Carolina Sen. John Edwards - if he's asked to.

"I guess I'm the kiss of death," Crowley said. "I like Edwards, but I think Kerry's going to be the nominee."

PURPLE NATION: A month after he was directed by Councilman Christopher Smitherman to compile a report on where every member of the Cincinnati Police Department went to high school, Police Chief Tom Streicher answered questions on police overtime.

Streicher, (Elder '71) repeatedly directed City Council to a purple-bound report he had prepared on the subject.

Any resemblance to his school colors was surely coincidental.

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com