On a cloudy Saturday afternoon, Eighth District Councilperson Donna Reed Miller is standing on the corner of Greene Street and Carpenter Lane for a photo opportunity in front of the Weavers Way Co-op, where she touts her reelection and hurls a few barbs at her opponent. She's here to present the co-op managers with a check for $100,000, a low-interest loan from the city that she secured for the struggling little community market. After the usual grip-and-grin shots for media photographers, and after accepting the effusive praise of co-op workers and shoppers, Miller sits on a wooden bench in front of the store and talks about her tenure in City Council, and the candidacy of her primary opponent, Marc DeBeary.

DeBeary is the son of Mt. Airy-Germantown community icon and former Eighth District Councilman Herb DeBeary, who died in office in 1993.

I've been involved in neighborhood politics the better part of 35 years, the 56-year-old Miller says. I was Herb [DeBeary's] friend and campaign administrator. If Herb hadn't died, I probably wouldn't have this seat, and in fact, I really didn't want it under those circumstances. But once I got in, I worked hard to prove myself worthy. Marc thinks he should inherit the seat simply by birthright, which is ridiculous. I've known Marc for many years, and I like him, but ask the people around here what Marc DeBeary has done for them. Then ask what Donna Reed Miller has done for them. Do that and you'll see who the people want.

Miller points to her smiling picture on posters attached to a light pole. In fact, that poster is on every light pole and unoccupied surface in the neighborhood. DeBeary's posters are nowhere to be seen.

Look around, do you see any of his posters? Miller asks with a sarcastic smile. Do you know why? Because he hasn't raised any money. If the people of this community believed in him, they would support him with their sweat and with their dollars. And that isn't happening.

Miller says that the hallmark of her tenure in Council, indeed the hallmark of any councilperson, is constituent services. Her riding to the rescue of Weavers Way, and her formation of the Vicious Dog Task Force is an example of the kind of responsiveness people want from their Council representative, she says.

I don't run from work. I don't know everything about every issue, but I have people who work for me who do, and I rely on them to help me. Sure, I admit we haven't pleased everyone, but I think we've done an outstanding job.

Ironically, Miller says it was she who was instrumental in planning and naming DeBeary Square, the urban mall named for the late city councilman.

First and foremost, I'm proud of my father, says the 38-year-old financial consultant. His name has opened doors for me and I'm not ashamed of that. But like Sharif Street, Wilson Goode Jr. and Franny Rizzo, all sons of famous fathers in politics, ultimately you have to stand on your own merits, which is exactly what I intend to do. The bottom line is this: If the people of the Eighth Councilmanic District were happy with the level of services from their councilperson, I wouldn't be running.

Told of Miller's contention that his lack of campaign posters is indicative of his level of community support, DeBeary laughs derisively.

She's an incumbent on the ropes, and she should be more concerned with her own candidacy, he says. The truth is, we've been putting posters up, and they keep getting ripped down. We've gone through 5,000 posters so far, and most of them don't stay up for a day. I'm not accusing her people, because I won't get into that kind of thing, but it's unusual isn't it?

Not so unusual, according to Miller, who says the missing DeBeary posters are his own fault: They were destroyed by wind and weather, a result of his putting his posters up as early as January. Besides, Miller says, all politicians accuse their opponents of ripping down their posters, and such accusations should be taken with a grain of salt.

DeBeary says that it's time to pass the torch on to a younger generation, whose concerns are more with economic development and entrepreneurial opportunities than the civil rights struggles of the '60s. Minority business advancement and quality schools that produce a 21st-century workforce will mark his tenure in City Council, he says, along with the kind of tireless community effort that made his dad famous.

When I started researching the issues, I was horrified at the lack of responsiveness by our councilperson, and the lack of effort on behalf of the community, says DeBeary. Economic opportunity, not empty protest, is the key to advancement in the new millennium. I want to serve the people of this district in a way they haven't seen in several years.

But why go up against his father's friend and protégé, especially considering he worked for her reelection campaign in 1999?

Two reasons, DeBeary says. One, this election is about the people of the Eighth District and she failed to follow through on her promises to those people. And two, I love a good fight.