Halfway through the 2001 campaign for Cincinnati mayor, the race has been mostly about personalities.

        The most significant difference between Mayor Charlie Luken and challenger Courtis Fuller, two well-known former news anchors, is in their approach, both candidates have said.

Fuller

Luken

        But now, with just six days to go before a nonpartisan primary election will narrow the field from four candidates to two, the race is slowly becoming a campaign about issues.

        Candidates for Cincinnati's mayor are outlining broad agendas on issues of crime, jobs, downtown development, race relations, neighborhoods and housing — perhaps for the first time in modern history.

        In part, that's because Cincinnati hasn't elected a mayor directly since 1925. Instead, voters have elected a nine-member City Council from as many as 27 candidates all clamoring to be heard above the fray.

        “In a field race, you don't have to deal with issues, unless there's an issue you can separate from the pack with,” said Gene Beaupre, a professor of political science at Xavier University.

        Phil Heimlich had crime. Nick Vehr had term limits. Jim Tarbell had Broadway Commons. John Mirlisena had constituent service.

        But also, the era of 30-second television commercials and the ever-shrinking sound bite has made it impractical for candidates to concentrate on anything but a single hot-button issue, Mr. Beaupre said.

        “If you go back to the days when I worked for council members, parties and committees ran on platforms. I still have a platform from when Jerry Springer ran for council,” he said. “Voters don't have the attention span any more.”

PRIMARY

Cincinnati's nonpartisan mayoral primary will be held Tuesday. The polls will be open 6:30 am. to 7:30 p.m. All registered voters in the city are eligible to vote.     This primary does not require voters to declare a party in order to vote. Voters will get a ballot with the names of the four candidates from which to choose.     A voter may only pick one candidate.     The two with the most votes will be the mayoral candidates appearing on the Nov. 6 ballot.

        Still, platforms may be in this year.

        With the events of April, the direct election for mayor and two well-known personalities leading the field, voters and candidates may be paying attention to the issues.

        Mr. Fuller has outlined a seven-point “covenant with voters.” Mr. Luken is addressing the issues on a more piecemeal basis, answering questions from gay rights to Section 8 housing to police-community relations.

        But issues aren't just a candidate's position on proposed legislation, Mr. Beaupre said. It's “anything that resonates with voters.”

        And many times, what resonates are the intangibles — issues like leadership qualities, personality and trustworthiness.

        Charlie Winburn would certainly agree. The former Republican councilman, now a member of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, said he supports Mr. Fuller's “all-inclusive” campaign.

        Yet Mr. Winburn admits he's uncomfortable with Mr. Fuller's “liberal social agenda.”

        “Courtis Fuller will be able to demand respect,” Mr. Winburn said.

        At candidates' forums across the city, Mr. Luken and Mr. Fuller have generally agreed more than they've disagreed.

        Both want more police on the streets. Both agree on the need to heal the city's racial rifts.

        However, some disagreements have emerged.

        For example, Mr. Fuller is open to spending city money on a regional light rail system, a Cincinnati Olympic bid, and matching funds for campaigns.

        Mr. Luken is not.

        Sometimes, the differences are more subtle.

        Mr. Fuller would repeal Issue 3, the anti-gay rights charter amendment. Mr. Luken, too, supports its removal from the city charter — but would prefer that gay rights activists get enough signatures on the ballot to take it to the voters.

        Mr. Fuller would give subpoena power to the Citizens Police Review Board. Mr. Luken said he'd like to see what the U.S. Justice Department thinks about the issue — but is cautious about giving subpoena power to an unelected board.

        Early in the campaign, Mr. Fuller said he would not allow his opponents, interest groups or the media to force him to make “pie-in-the-sky” proposals.

        Indeed, as he's become more specific in his agenda, Mr. Fuller found himself in treacherous territory.

        Last month, Mr. Fuller announced a plan for neighborhood investment that would be paid for though the elimination of the city's $28.1 million subsidy to the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority.

        Mr. Luken quickly attacked that idea, saying it was “not a responsible position to take.”

        “The first thing that's going to happen is that 800 union people are going to be faced with the loss of their jobs,” he told a union audience last month.

        Now, Mr. Fuller says he never meant to hurt the bus system, and is working on other funding mechanisms for his neighborhood revitalization plan.

        Minor candidates for mayor, like council candidates, have been forced to focus on just a few issues.

        Bill Brodberger, a long-time Republican who's running without his party's endorsement, has positioned himself as the law-and-order candidate. His message is just three words: “Jobs. Progress. Safety.”

        Michael Riley, a longtime civil rights activist, has focused more on race relations. He says he will do more to make sure all 52 neighborhoods are developed, “not just downtown.”

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