No big surprise here. He may have considered a run for Mayor for about as long is it took to order a burrito at Ernesto’s, where supporters held a rally for him July 25, but Dan Seum is not a candidate for Mayor.

Seum wants to keep his powerful seat in the Kentucky Senate, and is not willing to risk it for a longshot run as Louisville’s chief executive. Expect an official announcement on Friday, but Seum has made it clear to his supporters that the only campaign he’ll be running in 2010 is as an incumbent in Senate District 38, where he’ll face John Yarmuth aide Marty Meyer, who’s been campaigning for the seat already.

So in this rare opportunity for Republicans to capture City Hall, the party seems to lack a serious candidate for the office. The party seems to be waiting for a dream candidate to appear on the scene.

Steve Pence? We don’t think so. The party’s pushing Pence, but family concerns and a growing law practice that would be difficult to give up are working against a run for Mayor. And Pence seems to have a long-term commitment to his star client, Rick Pitino, that will keep him in the spotlight for a while.  Let’s just say it would be tough to run a campaign and be a principal in the city’s biggest trial in history at the same time.

Pence may suffer from the “Life’s Too Good” complex that makes being Mayor seem like a step down on the career ladder. Sure, anyone with money, ego, name recognition and party membership would take a look, but how many people like that are out there? Where’s the Republican version of Greg Fischer — someone with an altruistic desire for public-service and all the traits mentioned above.

No candidate like that seems to be waiting in the wings. When Pence makes his announcement around Labor Day, which will likely be that he’s not running, mabye we’ll hear from one.