CLEVELAND, March 19, 2008 (AP): A convicted killer is among two candidates to win a special election and advance to a runoff for an open Cleveland City Council seat.

John Boyd will face interim Councilwoman Mamie Mitchell in the April 22, 2008 election to replace a councilwoman who stepped down to become the council's clerk.

Mitchell won 477 votes and Boyd had 122 in Tuesday's six-candidate special primary in a ward of about 17,000 registered voters on the city's east side. About 890 ballots were cast.

Boyd was convicted of murder in 1973 and later of heroin trafficking, forgery, theft and receiving stolen property. He says he hasn't tried to conceal his criminal past and now devotes himself to working with troubled teens.

The Ohio attorney general's office says it's not clear whether he could hold the seat if elected.

Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com