On Your Marks

Becky Motal, Manuel Zuniga, Ronney Reynolds, Max Nofziger, Kirk Watson, Eric Mitchell, and Gus Garcia are just some of the candidates limbering up for the city council race. illustration by Doug Potter

You have to learn to crawl before you can walk. That saying never seemed more true as the candidates running for the May 2 city council elections jockey for position at the starting line. With Bruce Todd chucking the contest, the mayor's race was already interesting; now even more so, since Max Nofziger recently laced up his running shoes. Gus Garcia, a living Eastside institution, took an affirmative action when he jumped to the Place 2 slot on behalf of Hispanics who aren't content with just one seat. There appears

to be a bottleneck in Place 5's starting lane, as no less than eight hopefuls try to fill the vacuum Garcia left. And, for now, anyway, betting folks ought to put their money on Eric Mitchell by a mile in Place 6 -- Lord knows enough contributors already have. Of course, those who start first often finish last; and with nearly six weeks to go before the filing deadline, anything could happen in this marathon. Here's a Place-by-Place look at how the races shape up right now; remember, though, the filing deadline isn't until March 19. -- Audrey Duff