Revenge, lawsuits, power struggles, turf battles, hurt feelings.

This year's primary contests in City Council Districts 4 and 6 are packed with melodrama -- in part because both are also proxy fights between larger political fiefdoms. There also is a race in District 2, but it has fewer fireworks. District 8 has an uncontested race.

In the South Hills District 4 race, four candidates are vying for the spot being vacated by Jim Motznik, who is running for district judge. The race in District 6, which includes all of the Hill District and part of the North Side, has two candidates challenging the incumbent.

While the issues are the usual City Council perennials -- public safety, economic development and urban blight -- there's more to those two contests than meets the eye.

Last month, Anthony Coghill, 42, of Beechview, a roofing company owner who's running in District 4, sued the Allegheny County Democratic Committee seeking to overturn the committee's March 8 endorsement of a rival, Patrick Reilly. He asserted that at least one vote at the party's meeting was cast in proxy, in violation of party rules, claiming the sister of an out-of-town committee member was ushered in and voted.

Mr. Reilly, 27, of Overbrook, says he knows of no deliberate attempt to cast a fraudulent vote. Mr. Reilly graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2004 and worked as a sales revenue manager at a Holiday Inn in Steubenville, Ohio, before being hired to work in state Rep. Chelsa Wagner's office as a community outreach coordinator.

Mr. Coghill, who is on leave as a part-time liaison in state Sen. Wayne Fontana's office, says he's acting on his own, but political observers note a history of bad blood between Mr. Fontana and Pete Wagner, Chelsa Wagner's father, who is backing Mr. Reilly.

Mr. Wagner, member of a prominent political family and Democratic Committee chair of the 19th Ward, broke from Mr. Fontana, a former ally, after Mr. Fontana was elected to the Senate.

Mr. Coghill, who narrowly lost to Mr. Motznik four years ago, said he was "hurt" and "flabbergasted" that Mr. Wagner didn't support him this time around, and said it was because of the Wagner-Fontana feud.

Mr. Wagner scoffed at the claim in the lawsuit, saying it's his understanding that proxy votes are permitted under new Democratic Party rules.

"This is totally blown out of proportion, as far as I'm concerned," he said. "[Mr. Coghill] is out searching for things, for ghosts that don't exist."

Asked about his break with Mr. Wagner, Mr. Fontana suggested it was due to his willingness to work with Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who have a history of tensions with the Wagner family.

Natalia Rudiak, a third candidate, has called the imbroglio "soap opera politics" and is positioning herself as a reformer, touting her endorsements by environmental and labor groups and community organizations. Ms. Rudiak, 29, of Carrick, is a graduate of George Washington University and has a master's degree in public policy from Carnegie Mellon University. Owner of her own consulting firm, Ms. Rudiak is vice president of Carrick Community Council and a member of the South Hills Neighborhood Forum.

The other candidate is Richard Weaver, 66, of Brookline, a demolition inspector for the city.

In the District 6 race, Tonya Payne, the incumbent councilwoman, says Daniel Lavelle's challenge is an act of revenge by Sala Udin, the man she defeated for the seat four years ago. Mr. Lavelle has sharply criticized the incumbent for failing to provide leadership on City Council and for her opposition to limits on campaign contributions.

Ms. Payne, 44, of Uptown, cites as a key accomplishment her role in getting the Oak Hill development off the ground, and opposes a campaign finance reform bill because she thinks limits will hurt women and minorities, who have difficulty raising money.

She noted that Mr. Lavelle worked for Mr. Udin and then for state Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District, and said "there's a lot of envy there. If you look at the issues Daniel is putting out, he's trying to tag me with what his own boss didn't do or his current boss. Sala is missing the power, they all want to have the power, that's the way they are."

Mr. Lavelle disagreed, noting that Ms. Payne worked for Mr. Udin before he fired her.

"This race is not about Sala or Jake," he said. "I'm my own man, and when I decided to run back in early January, Sala wasn't even aware of it."

Mr. Lavelle, 31, of the Hill District, is a graduate of the Pittsburgh Public Schools and Kent State University.

Mark Brentley Sr., 52, of the North Side, a member of the Pittsburgh school board since 1999, says he's running to bring leadership to the entire district, not just the Hill District, to "put an end to the Sala-Payne-Wheatley feud" and because Ms. Payne, the incumbent, missed opportunities to bring revitalization funding and jobs to the district from developers of the hockey arena, the North Shore casino and the census, which is hiring people for next year's canvassing.

District 2, a sprawling and diverse region that comprises parts of 15 city neighborhoods, has a three-way race.

Theresa Smith, 49, of Westwood, is a self-described community activist who headed up the Crafton Heights, Westwood, Ridgemont Community Council and is a member of the 28th Ward Democratic Committee. She is seeking a full term in the seat she captured in a special election two months ago after Dan Deasy was elected to the state House.

Georgia Blotzer, 59, of Mount Washington, active in the Mount Washington Community Development Corp. and the Coalition of Labor Union Women, ran as an independent in the February special election. She is on the Democratic ballot for the nomination this time.

Robert Vincent Frank, 40, of Mount Washington, a former city employee and longtime activist in the Democratic Party, also is in the race.

District 8 has no contest, at least until November. Incumbent William Peduto, who surprised supporters by deciding against a challenge to Mr. Ravenstahl, is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Republicans have not put one of their own on City Council since the 1930s. Greg Neugebauer, a Republican committee member from Shadyside, said he plans to run, advocating "back-to-basics governing."