Mallory: More Shopping, Kharkiv, No Guns

When Mayor Mark Mallory starts Saturday's 5k College Hill Rhythm Race, he'll be blowing a whistle to do it. He refuses to fire a gun, even a starter pistol.

"I think the symbolism is just bad," he said, explaining why. "It's just something I don't do."

Here's what else he's got going on:

1. He's talking with neighborhood groups about his Shop 52 plan to attract more retail throughout the city. He started with North Fairmount and South Fairmount, but has plans to meet with representatives of all 52 in the next couple of weeks. He hopes the activists take the information from Social Compact, the national non-profit that studied market potential here, and help him use it to attract grocery stores, retail, banks, etc.

2. He's talking about Soap Box Derby, in hopes of bringing more attention to it. He gave a proclamation recently to Vince Sprague, the Colerain Township 9-year-old who won the Derby's national championship last month in Akron. The mayor waxed poetic about how he and his friends didn't have a Soap Box Derby car, but modified an old Big Wheel instead. He wants to promote Soap Box Derby because he thinks it's a "great opportunity for bonding within a family."

3. He leaves Tuesday for Kharkiv, Ukraine, one of Cincinnati's sister cities. He and others were invited there by the government to talk about economic development opportunities.