Will Tarbell run?

As of noon today, even Jim Tarbell didn't have an answer to that question. Which could be a problem, since the deadline for filing nominating petitions for Cincinnati mayor is 4 p.m. today.

Still, City Hall is buzzing.

"His entry would make things very interesting," Mayor Charlie Luken told WLW's Bill Cunningham this afternoon. "He has a constituency. I wouldn't rule him out."

The Charterite councilman said he'd file his petitions in a heartbeat if he could keep open his option to run for City Council instead. He said he's been told he'd have to forfeit a council run to file his petitions.

But that's not exactly true. Technically, Tarbell could file his petitions today, and would have as long as 15 days to decide whether to stay in the mayor's race or run for re-election to City Council, where he'd be term-limited in 2007.

Article IX, Section 2 of the city's charter:

An eligible person who has accepted a nomination for mayor as provided in Article IX, Section 4 shall not be eligible for election to the office of member of council that year.

But "acceptance" of the nomination won't come today. Here's Article IX, Section 4:

Within ten days after the certification of a nominating petition the election authorities shall notify the person named therein as a candidate whether the petition is found to satisfy all the prescribed conditions. Any eligible person placed in nomination as herein provided shall have his or her name printed on the ballot if, within five days after such notification, such person files with the election authorities a written acceptance of the nomination.

So if Tarbell files petitions today, he could still change his mind in the next two weeks by declining to accept his own nomination for mayor.

(Photo by Brandi Stafford/The Cincinnati Enquirer)