Approach, and not ideology, will be thedetermining factor in the race for the vacatedseat of State Representative Peter Vellucci.

Both of the leading contenders havetraditionally liberal records--Timothy Toomey inthe City Council, and Karen Uminski as a Velucciaide.

While Uminski promises to serve as a full-timerepresentative, Toomey says he will remain on theCity Council if elected.

Toomey may face resistance among Somervillevoters on this point. He points out that Vellucciheld a full-time job during his tenure on BeaconHill, and says that if his position on the CityCouncil compromises his new office, he willconsider dropping his city post.

Both candidates support current abortion lawsand advocate public funding of abortions for poormothers. Uminski, though, points to Toomey'spersonal opposition to abortion to question hisresolve on protecting its legality.

Uminski advocates revamping the educationfunding system, which, like the rest of thenation, allots more money to suburban childrenthan those in the city. Under her plan, moneywould come from a graduated income tax, ratherthan from property tax as it usually does.

Both candidates support the Family Health bill,a publicly funded health insurance plan similar tothe Canadian system, and family leave programs.

Uminski says that as Vellucci's aide, she hasthe connections to make these changes reality. Shealso cites her gender as an asset; victory wouldmake her the first woman to represent Cambridgeand Somerville in history.

Also on the ballot is Kenneth May, an EastCambridge lawyer who now supports Karen Uminski,and Elio LoRusso, a 20-year-old Suffolk Universitystudent from East Somerville who says that, whilehe knows little of the issues on Beacon Hill,Somerville needs one of its own in the StateHouse