The mayor of New York City has no power to wage a war in a foreign land – or halt it. But the issue of the war in Iraq is heating up on the mayoral campaign trail, as Mayor Bloomberg’s opponents question his stance on the 2 1/2-year-old conflict.

On Sunday, a reporter asked Mr. Bloomberg what he thought of Cindy Sheehan, who has been camped outside President Bush’s Texas ranch for weeks. Her son, Casey Sheehan, died while in military service in Iraq. Mr. Bloomberg responded that it was not a “local issue.”

The Democratic mayoral front-runner, Fernando Ferrer, who is opposed to the war, seized on the mayor’s answer, saying the war is “an issue for everyone.”

Yesterday morning, another candidate, Gifford Miller, said that he’s been consistently opposed to the war and that Mr. Bloomberg owes New Yorkers an explanation of his own position.

“For the mayor to say it’s not important for him to have a position on an issue that’s affecting thousands and thousands of New Yorkers who are serving abroad, that obviously is one of the most important issues that is facing our city and our country, you know, I think is disingenuous,” the City Council speaker said. “If he’s afraid of antagonizing people because of his consistent support for George Bush, he shouldn’t consistently support George Bush.”

At a morning press conference, Mr. Bloomberg, who has been a Republican for five years, said he does care about the troops and does feel for their families, but he said it’s not his job to question the decisions of Congress or the president. Rather, he said, it’s his job to support American troops, who are at risk as they fight in Iraq.

“I’m not going to walk away from our young men and women. I think that every single American hopes that our troops come home quickly with no more casualties,” he said. “We are there, and I hope that our national leaders can find a way to bring home the young men and women.”

A third Democratic candidate, C. Virginia Fields, blasted the mayor for what she saw as indecisiveness on Iraq and called on Mr. Bloomberg to “apologize immediately.” In a statement, the Manhattan borough president said: “The mayor said he didn’t have an opinion about the war in Iraq. Today, he parroted the false justification George Bush has given for the war: that we are fighting the terrorists in Iraq. He then, shockingly, invoked 911 as if there is a connection between the war and the attack on our city. This is the same batch of lies the president has been trying to sell the world and the mayor should not be repeating them. He should apologize immediately to all New Yorkers.”

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The city’s electrical workers gathered under the neon billboards of Times Square yesterday to throw their support behind Mayor Bloomberg. It was the first time the union, Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents 33,000 people, has endorsed a Republican candidate in a city or state election.

Mr. Bloomberg, who said his company, Bloomberg LP, has relied on the powerful union for two decades, said he felt a “real spark of energy” when he received the endorsement.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled about it,” he said.

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The City Council speaker, Gifford Miller, called reporters to a news conference yesterday to demand that the Bloomberg administration give more notice when changing the registration process for first-time high school students. But the policy was not changed. As it was last year, registration for new students is being handled at enrollment centers throughout the city, not at the schools.

Mr. Miller said it was “his understanding” that the Department of Education announced Friday it was changing that procedure.

“Less than two weeks before classes are scheduled to begin, the Administration has announced a last minute change in policy for registering new high school students who are entering the systems,” a news release distributed by the Miller campaign said. “This unexpected change of admissions process, announced on a Friday late in August, threatens to confuse parents and shortchange students.”

According to education officials, this is the second year of registration at centers. This year there are fewer centers, but Mr. Miller was not complaining about the number of centers. His release – which had a headline that, in capital letters, blared: “Miller Criticizes Bloomberg’s Last Minute Bureaucratic Reshuffle on High School Registration Leaves Parents in the Lurch” – said city officials should notify parents of any changes in enrollment procedures one month before implementing them.

A campaign spokesman, Reggie Johnson, acknowledged later yesterday that there was no policy change but said the Bloomberg administration still had a confusing system for registering students.

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Those who have not yet seen or heard enough political advertisements will have many more opportunities before the September 13 primary.

Yesterday, Rep. Anthony Weiner, one of the four Democrats running for mayor, unveiled two new TV commercials. One is set in front of Mr. Weiner’s elementary school, P.S. 39, in Brooklyn, and the other takes place inside a Brooklyn diner.

Another of the mayoral candidates, C. Virginia Fields, the president of Manhattan, announced two new radio advertisements yesterday. The ads feature testimonials from Council Member Charles Barron and the actor Ruby Dee.

Alone among the four Democrats in the race, Ms. Fields has yet to begin television advertising. Her campaign has said it will soon do that as well.