CLEVELAND — The mayoral race and several intriguing City Council battles top a list of primary elections today in Cuyahoga County.
Challenging Mayor Frank Jackson's bid for a second four-year term are nonprofit executive Kimberly Brown, consultant Laverne Jones Gore, businessman Robert Kilo and former Councilman Bill Patmon. The two candidates with the most votes will meet in the Nov. 3 general election.
In addition to Cleveland, Broadview Heights, Brook Park, Lakewood, Rocky River and Solon have contests on the ballot. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Jackson, running on his record of fiscal stability, entered the final weekend of campaigning widely favored to emerge from the primary. The real question is how many votes will separate him from his November opponent and who that opponent will be. Patmon, who ran for mayor in 2005, was the most visible challenger in recent weeks with repeated attacks on Jackson.
But most of the suspense is likely to come from three of the eight Cleveland council races.
Ward 2: Councilman Zack Reed is in a seven-way primary to return to City Hall, and in most years, the outspoken incumbent would be a heavy favorite. But Reed was redistricted out of Ward 3, which he has represented since 2000, and is seeking a term on mostly new turf.
Challenging him are Gerri Griffin, Betina Gulley, Annaliesa Henley, Eric King, Charlene Laster and Stan Owens. The ward's interim councilman, Nate Wilkes, is not seeking the seat.
Ward 8: Fallen political star Jeffrey Johnson, a former councilman and state senator convicted of extortion 11 years ago, is attempting a comeback. He faces Councilwoman Shari Cloud, appointed to the seat four months ago, as well as Valeri Coats and Ronnie Jones.
Ward 14: Like Reed, Ward 15 Councilman Brian Cummins saw his political base splintered in the council's downsizing from 21 seats to 19. Cummins chose to challenge colleague Joe Santiago, who is seeking a second term in the largely Hispanic ward.
With those two alone this would be a fascinating race. But the field also includes former Councilman Nelson Cintron Jr. -- a bitter Santiago rival -- and Cintron's former council aide, Rick Nagin. Rounding out the ballot are James D'Amico, Gary Horvath and Moises Torres.
Because of changes to ward and precinct boundaries, the county Elections Board is encouraging voters to double-check their polling location. They can do so by visiting the board's Web site at www.boe.cuyahogacounty.us or by calling 216-443-3298.
Results will be reported throughout the evening on cleveland.com/politics.