Rumors Fly That Jim Tarbell Will Fold Commissioner Bid: Dems Now Gearing For Two-Person Primary?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Word has it that former Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell -- who failed to nail down a party endorsement last Thursday -- could be preparing to abandon his campaign for the Democratic nomination as Hamilton County Commissioner. Nothing official from Tarbell yet. Dem Chair Tim Burke is openly backing Cincinnati City Councilman Cecil Thomas, who pulled out the race but now is officially back in. A third Democrat, Whitewater Township Trustee Hubert Brown, has already filed nominating petitions and says he intends to be on the primary ballot no matter who else is running. Brown, 58, a former International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers organizer and business agent, tells The Daily Bellwether: "I'm in. I'm already on the ballot. I'm not going away."

All three Democrats want to succeed David Pepper as county commissioner. Pepper is running for state auditor. Brown, Tarbell and Thomas all sought the Hamilton County Democratic Party's endorsement last Thursday night. None got it. Tarbell seems to be the odd man out because Brown has labor support and Thomas has Burke. Thomas, an African American who is serving his third term on Cincinnati's City Council, appears to have the most inside support. Gov. Ted Strickland and Dem Chair Burke believe Thomas' presence on the fall ballot will help Democratic candidates by boosting the turnout of African American voters in Hamilton County. While Thomas is not Obama, he is seen by party elders as offering some ability to rekindle 2008's Obama effect at the local polls.

Brown, who has held elected office for 14 years, points out that he has been able to win in his township by attracting Republican and independent voters. "At one point, Whitewater Township was just 4% Democratic," Brown said. "I'm in this because I think I'm the better candidate." Brown adds" "We want to keep this a Democratic (commission) seat. If you don't get any votes in the county, how are you going to win?"

[Ed. Note: The Daily Bellwether hopes to hear first hand from Jim Tarbell about his plans. He's welcome to send a statement to Cincybwellether@yahoo.com. The Bellwether will be glad to publish it.]

Cecil Thomas Says He May Run For Hamilton County Commisser: A Dem Primary With Jim Tarbell?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Cincinnati City Councilman Cecil Thomas tells The Daily Bellwether he's reconsidering his decision that took him out of the contest for a seat on the Hamilton County Commission. Last Friday, Thomas said he would not be a candidate. Now he says he's wavering: "I may do it. I'm hearing from a lot of people, the governor on down. I'll decide by the end of the week." Asked directly if he was leaning toward running, Thomas said "yes." Former vice mayor Jim Tarbell says he's coming out of political retirement and running as a Democrat for the open County Commission seat now held by David Pepper, the Democratic candidate for state auditor. Tarbell served four terms on city council as a member of the Charter Party.

So far, it's not clear if Tarbell would withdraw to clear the way for Thomas or if they would face each other in the May primary. Tarbell could not be reached for comment. (There may be more from him later today.)

Two Republican council members plan to run for Pepper's seat -- Leslie Ghiz and Chris Monzel. Thomas is in his third council term. He is a former police officer and former director of the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission. He is African American, and could make history if he becomes the first black elected to the commission. Thomas said he had been concerned that he would not be able to raise a large enough campaign warchest for the race. He now thinks he could be competitive: "People know me, they know what I stand for, what I'm about."

Cincinnati Councilman Cecil Thomas: Dem Says He's 100% Pro-Lifer

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Democrats now hold five of the nine Cincinnati City Council seats up for election Nov. 6, and incumbent Cecil Thomas is considered by many political watchers as the candidate most on the bubble. He's now split with his party on a volatile issue it strongly supports -- legalized abortion -- and has told Right-to-Life of Greater Cincinnati he wants Roe v. Wade reversed. Thomas is a former police officer endorsed by the AFL-CIO and the Cincinnati teachers' union, but he sounds like a conservative Republican on abortion, which he favors banning in the United States.

He is the only Democratic incumbent who has staked out a total anti-abortion position on the right-to-life candidates' survey, and some Dems are wondering if Thomas really has his heart in the party. Others say the Dems should have room for those whose religious views equate abortion with murder -- a position that runs 180 degrees opposite from the Democrats' official position on the issue.

Thomas was elected two years ago. This year, he says in a right-to life candidate's survey that Roe should be overturned.

"Yes. I do not believe in abortion. My God said, 'I knew you before you were in your mother's womb.'"

He also said no tax funds should be given to organization that promote or perform abortions, and that city health benefits should not include abortion coverage.

He said he supports Ohio legislation preventing assisted suicide, too, and agrees with President Bush that human embryos should not be destroyed to extract stem cells for scientific research. On the latter, he is again completely at odds with his party.

The 2004 Democratic platform makes clear that abortion rights and stem cell research are bedrock issues (pdf). The abortion plank is on page 38:

"We will defend the dignity of all Americans against those who would undermine it. Because we believe in the privacy and equality of women, we stand proudly for a woman's right to choose, consistent with Roe v Wade, and regardless of her ability to pay. We stand firmly against Republican efforts to undermine that right. At the same time, we strongly support family planning and adoption incentives. Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare."

The Democrats' stem cell plank is on page 31, and again Thomas parts company from its words:

"President Bush has rejected calls from Nancy Reagan, Christopher Reeve and Americans across the land for assistance with embryonic stem cell research. We will reverse his wrongheaded policy. Stem cell therapy offers hope to more than 100 million Americans who have serious illnesses -- from Alzheimer's to heart disease to juvenile diabetes to Parkinson's. We will pursue this research under the strictest ethical guidelines, but we will not walk away from the chance to save lives and reduce human suffering."

[UPDATE: 10/26/07 7:35 a.m. -- Democratic Councilman John Cranley, the OH-01 congressional candidate in 2006, also favors reversing Roe v. Wade. But Cranley, who went to college under the Jesuits at John Carroll University in suburban Cleveland, does not favor a complete abortion ban. He says state and federal legislation aimed at outlawing abortion should have room for exceptions.]