Cleveland's Ward 14 "Thunderdome" : Seven Men Enter, Two Men Leave.

The lines are drawn and the battles are underway this morning in a very rainy Cleveland Ward 14. After four years of controversial representation, voters in the city's most heavily Latino populated ward are headed to the polls to select a new councilman. Seven names are on the ballot including two councilmen - incumbent Joe Santiago and a redistricted Brian Cummins whose ward was split and absorbed by city officials charged with downsizing council from 21 members to 19.

Ward 14 is notorious for horrifyingly bad voter turnout. Some of it is caused by the heavy influx of transient residents who use the neighborhood as a temporary home before moving to another part of the city or to another state altogether. As one of the country's heaviest Puerto Rican and Latino communities, Ward 14 is often times the first address of new residents moving to the states. As those voters move on, their names stay on the rolls. Another factor suppressing turnout is poverty and lack of interest. After years of neglect by two councilmen - the incumbent Santiago and his predecessor, Nelson Cintron Jr., the ward has seen little, if any progress in advancing the cause of the community. Santiago points to new businesses in a few blocks of Clark Avenue, but beyond a new drug store, auto parts store, and supermarket, little if anything positive has taken place in his four years at city hall.

Well, that's if you don't include the many bars which he has personally lobbied for against the voice of neighboring residents. What we will wait to see tonight is whether or not those concerned citizens will do their part and send Santiago out the same way they sent Cintron home four years ago.

While the Latino population is strong here, and common sense would suggest one or two of the three Latino candidates would emerge from today's primary, I'm not convinced Latino voters want anything to do with either Santiago or Cintron. This could further suppress turnout or drive it to one of the alternatives.

Not that my opinion matters, but here's my guess for the outcome of today's primary (top two advance to November):

1. Rick Nagin (Cintron's former assistant is well respected and known in the ward. He's also got the backing of Congressman Kucinich)

2. Brian Cummins (Currently on Council, Cummins still has some of his old ward in this redrawn one. He'll need it, but they'll turn out.)

3. Nelson Cintron (For some reason his supporters are loyal)

4. Joe Santiago (The city's only openly gay member and only Latino member is about to become a non-member)

5. Moises Torres (Mounting an impressive yard sign effort. But yard signs don't vote)

6. Jimmy D'Amico (Lacking a solid voter base to make enough of a dent. Would be more of a factor without Cummins and Nagin in the race)

7. Gary Horvath (Same problem as D'Amico)

More tonight after the polls close.