Mayoral Elections: There Are Others At Stake Besides New York?

For all the writeups about Tuesday's off-year elections, you'd never know that there are other big-city mayoral elections on the ballot in addition to New York.

New York is the largest city, of course, and much of what happens there is bigger than life. Indeed, the mayor seeking a third term, Michael Bloomberg (R/I), has spent upwards of $85 million, most of it his own money, in his campaign against City Comptroller William Thompson, a Democrat. Bloomberg is nationally known as a multi-billionaire, as a crusader against handguns, as someone who might have once had -- or might still have -- a desire to reach the White House.

But he is also going to win on Tuesday going away. Everyone knows that.

And so, with just four days to go, wouldn't it be nice if we paid attention to the other mayoral races at stake? I thought so. Here are five races worth watching:

ATLANTA: Since 1973, when the city elected Maynard Jackson as mayor, Atlanta has had a continuous string of black mayors: Jackson, Andrew Young, Jackson again, Bill Campbell and Shirley Franklin, the current term-limited mayor. This is, as has often been said, the cradle of the civil rights movement in the South. And yet the frontrunner for Tuesday's election is Mary Norwood, a fiscally-conservative white city councilwoman who has not only attracted overwhelming support from the city's business elite but significant support from African-Americans as well. Crime in Atlanta is up, and the economy has faltered. Norwood is facing two black candidates: City Council President Lisa Borders and former state Sen. Kasim Reed. Neither is as polished a campaigner as Norwood, and neither has made the case to the African-American community that black voters should rally behind one of them to avoid Norwood sneaking in. Andy Young is backing Reed, who has raised the most money of the three candidates. Norwood is seen as having the best chance of the three winning the race outright on Tuesday; if no one gets a majority of the vote, it goes to a Dec. 1 runoff.

BOSTON: Just as Bloomberg has campaigned on his seeming invincibility in New York, there is an air of super-confidence on behalf of Thomas Menino, Boston's longest-serving mayor who is seeking an unprecedented fifth term. But unlike the aggressive tactics employed by Bloomberg, who is on the air constantly attacking his rival, Menino is running a play-it-safe campaign, shaking hands and smiling. His opponent in this officially nonpartisan race (both are Democrats) is City Councilor at Large Michael Flaherty, who has been hammering Menino from the outset over a liquor license scandal that has hit City Hall and a subsequent deleting of emails by a top Menino aide. But he is woefully unfunded, can't afford to buy expensive TV time, and has had trouble attracting media attention.

CHARLOTTE, NC: With Mayor Pat McCrory (R) stepping down after a record 14 years in office, the race is between two members of the city council -- John Lassiter, a Republican, and Anthony Foxx, a Democrat. The issues facing Charlotte seem to be basic ones involving taxes, transportation and infrastructure; a recent debate centered on whether to go ahead with a proposed streetcar. In recent years, Charlotte mayors have attempted to advance their political careers, with limited success. McCrory was the GOP nominee for governor in 2008. His predecessor, Richard Vinroot (R), sought the same office in 2000. Before Vinroot was Sue Myrick (R), who was elected to Congress in 1994 and still serves. Prior to Myrick was Harvey Gantt, who was the Democratic nominee for the Senate against GOP incumbent Jesse Helms in both 1990 and 1996. And before Gantt was H. Edward Knox, who narrowly lost the Democratic nomination for governor in a 1984 runoff.

DETROIT: Dave Bing, the former NBA Hall of Famer who was elected mayor back in May following the resignation of scandal-plagued Kwame Kilpatrick, is heavily favored to win a full term over businessman Tom Barrow, who ran twice against Mayor Coleman Young in the 1980s.

HOUSTON: The mayor of the nation's fourth largest city is the popular Bill White, a Democrat who is stepping down after three terms and who is running for the U.S. Senate. Everyone agrees that the three-way race to succeed him on Tuesday will go to a runoff. The three major candidates, all Democrats, are Eugene Locke, a former City Attorney backed by business leaders who is African-American; Peter Brown, a wealthy architect and councilmember-at-large; and City Controller Annise Parker, who could become the first openly gay woman to be elected mayor of a major American city. (The Republican candidate, Roy Morales, is not thought to be a factor.) Parker's sexual orientation has not been an issue. She and Brown are expected to advance to the December runoff.