By Gregory Korte
Enquirer staff writer

If state Sen. Mark Mallory joins the Cincinnati mayor's race today - and all indications are that he will - it could signal the start of a crowded race in which party unity means nothing.

That could be trouble for incumbent Charlie Luken.

It's more than 14 months until the nonpartisan mayoral primary in September 2005. Charterite Courtis Fuller, Luken's chief opponent in 2001, didn't get into the race until just minutes before the filing deadline, putting him at a fund-raising and organizational disadvantage.

Just the prospect of Mallory entering the race shook up the field Monday:

• Democratic Councilman David Pepper - who had been holding his cards close - said Monday he's in an exploratory phase.

Asked about a fund-raising letter touting a mayoral bid, he confirmed for the first time that he is in the early stages of a possible campaign.

"Like Mark, I'm thinking about it. There's a lot of things going on right now, and I don't think we need another campaign in the middle of 2004," he said.

• Judge Mark Painter of the Ohio First District Court of Appeals said Monday that he probably wouldn't enter the race if Mallory does.

"Historically, the Mallorys and the Painters are very close," said the Clifton Heights Republican.

Besides, he said, he only floated his name to ensure that someone challenges Luken.

"It's not just important that someone run against, him, but that someone beat him. And preferably, that someone should come from outside the group of people that's down there now," he said.

• Vice Mayor Alicia Reece is still considering several options, including the mayor's office, said father and campaign manager Steve Reece. Other possibilities are Ohio secretary of state and Mallory's Senate seat, which comes open by term limits in 2006.

"Mallory's announcement means nothing to us, because we always make decisions based on our research and her supporters," he said. "(Howard) Dean got out there early and got beat. It doesn't mean anything."

Steve Reece said the vice mayor would use the Democratic National Convention next week to gauge her support for a statewide run. She's term-limited from City Council in 2007.

• And in the Charterite camp, president Michael Goldman said the Charter Committee takes "very seriously" its obligation to field a candidate. If for no other reason, the Charterites want to protect the city manager system of government, he said.

"We feel as a Charter committee that this new stronger mayor system isn't tested yet," he said.

What does Luken have to say about all this?

"I'm not surprised," he said. "People are getting term limited. People are getting anxious; they're looking for places to go. ... Who will be here a year from now? Who knows?"

A veteran of nine campaigns, Luken's strengths are in a head-to-head contest. A crowded primary, he concedes, could make it more difficult to get past the qualifying round.

His recent effort to bolster his Democratic credentials seems to indicate that he believes his biggest threat will come from the left.

In January, he delighted the city's unions by reversing course on an outsourcing plan known as "managed competition."

And he's campaigning for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry with such zeal that one would think he's angling for a Cabinet post.

Mallory, too, has been active in the Kerry campaign. He's the co-chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party and, like Luken, a super delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

That would leave local Democrats to choose up sides.

"I would hope that this battle doesn't start screwing up the party and divide us at a time we have other issues," said Mallory's co-chairman, Timothy M. Burke.

"Unfortunately, this kind of situation was predictable," he said, blaming term limits. "It's a wide open primary. God only knows how many candidates you could have in it."

Like the John Dowlin-Pat DeWine contest in the Republican primary for Hamilton County commissioner, the party's central committee can't keep Democrats from challenging Luken, Burke said.

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E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com