The coroner's office seldom gets much attention, but the scandals that have broken out since Carl Parrott's 2000 re-election have both parties taking this year's race in Hamilton County seriously.

Democrats are reminding voters that under Parrott's leadership, artist Thomas Condon took photos of bodies in the morgue. The families of those photographed are suing the county for millions of dollars.

"He either knew (about the photos) and allowed it, or he didn't know it and he should have," said state Sen. Mark Mallory, co-chairman of the county Democratic Party. "In either case, it is horrific. This has been one of the more grim and gruesome stories to ever come out of county politics."

Democrats are offering O'dell Owens as their candidate. Owens is a prominent fertility doctor and former president of the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees.

Republicans note that unlike Parrott, Owens has no experience in forensic pathology.

"I think Carl Parrott has done an absolutely wonderful job," said Bruce Taylor, vice chairman of the county Republican Party. "It's unfortunate he was duped into this photographer coming in under the guise of a training film. But once it was discovered, Carl Parrott did the right thing."

Condon and former Deputy Coroner Jonathan Tobias were convicted of gross abuse of a corpse, although Tobias' conviction was later overturned.

Parrott said he tightened security at the morgue.

"The response to this was quick and definitive," he said.

In addition to the morgue photo case, Parrott has been sued over at least two other issues: the release of the wrong body to a funeral home, and the office's practice of removing brains and other body parts without families' knowledge. The first case was dismissed; the other has been granted class-action status in U.S. District Court.

Owens said he would bring respect back to the office. His campaign slogan is "Dignity in life; dignity in death."

"Not every culture has a ceremony around birth, but every culture has a ceremony around death," he said. "We have allowed respect for that to be eroded."

The office needs a good administrator - not a pathology expert - at the helm, Owens said. A majority of coroners in the United States are not doctors at all but rather funeral directors, he noted.

Said Parrott: "I don't doubt that (Owens) would be better qualified than a funeral director. The question is, is that enough for a large, urban county?"

Pathology, like medicine overall, has made many advances since 1921, when Ohio lawmakers decided to require only that coroners had served two years as a doctor, Parrott said.

He denied that his office's record indicates a lack of sensitivity.

"We are profoundly concerned about and sensitive to the families we serve," he said. "Even though they are not able to speak for themselves, we consider (bodies in the morgue) our patients."

Law enforcement is divided on the race. Sheriff Simon Leis endorsed Parrott, while the Cincinnati police union endorsed Owens.

E-mail candrews@enquirer.com