By Gregory Korte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A unanimous Hamilton County Board of Elections voted to put Damon Lynch III on the ballot for Cincinnati City Council Friday, ending a two-week debate over whether he lives in the city.

The four-member board - split evenly between Republicans and Democrats - rejected arguments that Lynch must live with his family in order to be a qualified voter and that he submitted too many petitions to qualify for the ballot.

Board members made clear from the beginning that they had little stomach for an inquiry into a candidate's living arrangements.

Lynch, who changed his voter registration address to East Price Hill the day before announcing his candidacy, said he lives "separate and apart" from his wife, who resides in Woodlawn.

Board member Todd Ward, a Republican, said that because Ohio law allows a registered voter to change his address at any time - including the day of election - there was nothing to prevent Lynch from establishing legal residency in the city.

The board also rejected an argument that Lynch may have filed more than 1,000 valid signatures on his petition in violation of the city charter - a provision that even Lynch's opponents said was "silly."

Republican challenger Pete Witte, who accused Lynch of "carpetbagging," said he probably wouldn't appeal the ruling.

But he said he would "go on the campaign trail and show that I'm the complete opposite of Damon Lynch."

"I don't consider our police to be rapists, racists and murderers, and I don't think that kind of rhetoric is going to make sure our neighborhoods are safer places for our families to live," he said.

Lynch, at a campaign rally after the decision, made no apologies for his controversial 2001 letter urging people to boycott Cincinnati because "'police are killing, raping, planting false evidence and, along with the prosecutor and the courts, are destroying the general self-respect for black citizens."

"I stand by those words. Police officers in this city have done those things," he said.

Lynch, running without a party endorsement, is one of 26 candidates vying for nine at-large seats on City Council in the Nov. 4 election.

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com