1.   The city hired a consulting firm to rank the candidates on management and communication skills.

2.   Certainly if candidates were ranked today, one of the leaders would be Holik, one of many Czech- and European-born players in this series.

3.   Club activists distribute voter guides ranking candidates on the environment, a pioneering technique later adopted by the Christian Coalition.

4.   While Showalter has been called the leading candidate, Smith declined to rank the candidates.

5.   Zaccanelli, however, said he doubts that the team will rank the candidates before interviewing them.

6.   Problems start when parties must rank their candidates on the slate.

7.   In California, where candidates were ranked by all voters on a single ballot, McCain finished third overall to Gore and Bush.

8.   One party reportedly plans to rank its candidates based on who scores highest in the polls.

9.   The opposition Labor Party was to meet later Wednesday to decide how to rank its candidates for parliament on the party slate.