Alicia Reece is 'not in attack mode'

David Pepper and Alicia Reece at a Bond Hill hearing last year.

For much of the summer, David Pepper stuck to his script at debates and community forums as two of his opponents accused him of being resposnible for everything from the "chaos at City Hall" to the city's crime rate.

In the last 48 hours, Pepper has finally launched a counteroffensive via the U.S. Mail, calling Republican Charlie Winburn's ideas "out-of-date" and Mark L. Mallory's "too risky." And he has another mailer coming out shortly, attacking Winburn's seven-year record on City Council.

But the Democratic councilman said he was not planning a direct-mail campaign against his fourth major opponent, Democratic Vice Mayor Alicia Reece.

"You know what? She’s the only person who hasn’t been sitting around the past few weeks attacking me," he said. "She is not in attack mode. Winburn and Mallory have been in pure attack mode for most of the summer."

Reece’s campaign manager and father, Steven Reece Sr., said no negative ads would be forthcoming. "What we’ve tried to talk about is the issues and Alicia’s plans and what she’s done. We haven’t tried to undercut, backstab or engage in any of this silliness going on."

But that doesn't mean Pepper and Reece have resolved the differences that slowly tore them apart in four years serving together on City Council. Even Thursday, Pepper and Reece got into a back-and-forth on the floor of City Council over proposed raises for top city officials.

(Photo by Ernest Coleman/The Cincinnati Enquirer)