From the West Side Candidates Forum

Here's former City Hall reporter Greg Korte's report from the Covedale theater:

BEST EXCHANGES: The format -- a series of five minute stump speeches -- didn't allow for debate. But that didn't prevent candidates from sniping at each other.

The question posed of all the candidates was this: What are the biggest problems facing the West Side, and how would you solve them? Three-term Democratic Councilman David Crowley said the neighborhoods knew their own problems better than City Hall. "We want to work with you to help you solve your problems. We can't solve them for you."

Republican challenger John Eby of Westwood pounced on that: "If a candidate for council -- and especially an incumbent -- comes in here and says, "Well you know your problems better than I do," then I have to ask: "What have you been doing since you've been on Council?"
Later, after Republican challenger Charlie Winburn proposed a five-year comprehensive plan for Price Hill, independent Steve Pavelish attacked the idea. "I hear about great plans, I hear about five-year plans," he said. "The Soviet Union had five-year plans."

BEST APPLAUSE LINE: Republican Councilman Chris Monzel commended Police Capt. Andrew Raabe, who's being transferred downtown after more than seven years as the District 3 commander: "Capt. Raabe has been a true crime fighter for you, and it’s a big loss that he's going to be moving on," he said, drawing applause from the audience of about 50 people at the Covedale Theater.

BEST MALAPROPISM: Democratic Councilwoman Laketa Cole said "abandoned landlords" were the biggest problem facing the West Side.

MOST UNLIKELY SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT BUSH: Democratic challenger Greg Harris, an unabashed progressive candidate who twice challenged U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, suggested that the housing authority was slow to implement the Bush Administration's Section 8 Homeownership Program. "We need to make sure the working poor are eligible for the homeownership society," he said, echoing a Bush refrain.

BEST STATEMENT OF THE OBVIOUS: "I'm a black man. I don’t know if anyone's noticed," said Republican challenger Andre Harper, who promised to return the city to the glory of Pete Rose and the Big Red Machine days.

BEST PANDERING: Democratic Councilman Jeff Berding said he told a Channel 5 interviewer that his core constituency was Westwood and Price Hill -- and he wasn't afraid to tell the whole city that. (Price Hill Civic Club President Pete Witte gave the speech a one-man standing ovation.)

DEFINITELY NOT PANDERING: After nearly every other candidate identified housing -- and especially Section 8 housing vouchers -- as the biggest issue facing the West Side, independent Michael Earl Patton admitted that he was, in fact, a Section 8 landlord. He suggested that instead of punishing bad landlords, the city should "reward landlords that do a good job."

BEST IMPERSONATION OF THE INVISIBLE MAN: (Three-way tie.) Democrat Brian Garry, Charterite Joan Kaup and independent Mitch Painter were no-shows.