We are Fam-a-lee

The 31 Cincinnati city council candidates have, by and large, been traveling in packs from one community forum to another, spending more time with each other than with their own families.

So on Saturday, two candidates hosted invited all candidates, from all three parties, to what was essentialy an end-of-campaign cookout in a parking lot at the corner of Montgomery Road and Kennedy Avenue in Kennedy Heights.

Democrat candidates Eve Bolton and Wendell Young sponsored the event as sort of a late-afternoon break from racing from one campaign stop to another. They invited all of their fellow candidates - Democrat, Republican and Charterite - to stop by to have a hot dog and take a breather before hitting the campaign trail again.

About 20 candidates stopped by during the two-hour tripartisan mixer. Democrat council candidate Samantha Herd could be seen chatting it up with Republican John Eby. As they talked, Charter candidate Chris Bortz introduced Democrat John Smith to his wife as "the next mayor of Silverton, as of Tuesday.''

Bolton said that when she and Young planned the event, it only made sense to invite the other candidates.

"We've all been in this together,'' Bolton said. "We've all run the gauntlet. We're all battle-weary. We've all come to know each other really well. So it's just a bunch of friends getting together.''