Last night: The mayoral candidates and their five minutes.

Matt Nash filmed Democratic mayoral candidates Jeff Gahan and Irv Stumler at last evening's Democrat Men's Club Meeting - March 9, 2011. Paul Etheridge was present earlier, but left before the talking began; I'm unsure why.

As most such formats go, it was imperfect, with only five minutes allowed to Gahan and Stumler to introduce themsleves, but even so, their respective performances almost surely provided the formula for their campaigns to come. Watch Matt's videos, but here's the summary.

Gahan emphasized being a New Albany lifer, his career in veneer and residency, his pride in being a lifelong Democrat (with a fully appropriate "Republicans as bringers of hard times" comment), his service on the city council, and how much he's learned in eight years there. His opposition to Constitutionally-mandated fair redistricting was not mentioned. His opposition to any form of higher sewer rate was. Sewer rate subsidies from EDIT? C'mon, don't ask. In short, the expected mixed bag from Gahan, but offered succinctly and professionally.

Stumler looked the part of man in charge, and was personable and smooth as he minutely recited his Curriculum Vitae, from birth through high school, when he occasionally stopped studying long enough to help the janitor sweep up, through two college degrees and continued success in sales and business, until the point that moderator Adam Dickey invoked the five-minute limit. Stumler quickly concluded with the mantra we'll be hearing from him to the exclusion of all else: His half-century of business experience is crucial because this city must be run like a business.

My score: An edge to Gahan in round one, with a workmanlike showing by Stumler, and a major missed opportunity by Etheridge, who at some point must explain what he means by "common man for the common cause." We're listening.