More from Bates on Qualls

Charter Council candidate Melanie Bates had a prior commitment and had to miss this afternoon's announcement that her party gave Jim Tarbell's council seat to former Mayor Roxanne Qualls.

Joan Kaup was there, sitting at the table with Tarbell, Qualls, Chris Bortz, Charter President Michael Goldman and former long-time Charter councilwoman Bobbie Sterne. Tarbell called Kaup the "epitome of volunteer, civic, servant interests" and said "one of the charming parts about her" is her newness. "She came to the table so fresh and untainted."

Here's more of Bates' conversation with Enquirer education reporter Ben Fischer:

“You know, it’s kind of like when you apply for a job and you don’t get it. It’s the same kind of feeling.”

She said she didn't have any advance warning, no time to ask that she be considered for the appointment: “I don’t think anyone did, I don’t think even Roxanne did. It was all of a sudden, there were rumors swirling. “How can you predict Jim Tarbell? That’s like predicting the weather in the Midwest. You just can’t.”

He asked her if she felt it was fair for Charter to appoint someone who wasn't already running:

“The Democrats did that with Eric Kearney for Mallory’s Senate seat. It doesn’t make it OK, but it’s politics. I’m not saying it’s OK, or feels good, or anything, it’s just the way it is. If you’re in the game, you have to roll with the punches.”

And what might this do to her chances in November?

“I don’t know. But then, having her in the race could, it may — I’m not ready to say it’s the worst thing that ever happened, or it’s the best thing that ever happened. Certainly, all else being even, it’s not good for me … But she would draw a base that would support me. So that might enable me, to bump someone else.”

“Her being there, it may be just fine for me. How it happened is a different story.”

“It’s obvious I’m not going to be sitting (on Council) in September, but in reality does it make a difference? If it was a conservative male they brought forward, I’d say that’s pretty crappy. But Roxanne can energize a base that could help me. So it may be a wash for me. I just don’t know.”

She said she believes there's room for both her and Qualls on council because there are "weak incumbents." She wouldn't elaborate on which incumbents she was referring to - after she noticed Pamula Thomas, CPS ombudsman and wife of incumbent Cecil Thomas, standing nearby.