Four council challengers line up behind Pepper

After weeks of pooh-poohing state Sen. Mark Mallory's strategy of racking up endorsements, Councilman David Pepper is starting to fight back.

Thursday, the Pepper campaign will announce that a bi-partisan group of non-incumbent council candidates has endorsed Pepper. They include Democrats Cecil Thomas and Wendell P. Young and Republicans John Eby and Leslie Ghiz.

Though Pepper isn't formally endorsing a slate for City Council, Pepper makes no secret he'd like to see the same group elected. He also likes Democrats Jeff Berding, Eve Bolton, Laketa Cole, John Cranley and David C. Crowley.

Pepper said the endorsements give him a "head start on building consensus," and hinted that "there are more interesting endorsements coming."

Mallory, for his part, resists naming his "dream team" of council members.

"I have rejected this question on the campaign trail, for two reasons," he said in an interview earlier this week. One, he said, is political -- by picking sides, he could end up losing as many votes as he gains. Second, he said he's committed to work with whatever City Council the voters send him.

"You don't get to pick 'em," he said. "You have to develop them."

Mallory's list of endorsements includes the entire Hamilton County legislative delegation in the Ohio General Assembly (minus state Rep. Tom Brinkman Jr.), two former Ohio Senate presidents and former Mayor Roxanne Qualls.