BY MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS -- Something unusual happened Wednesday: a polite, civilized debate between two candidates vying to become Ohio's chief elections officer.
Appearing before the Columbus Metropolitan Club, Democrat Charleta Tavares and Republican Ken Blackwell even applauded each other's speeches outlining their respective ideas for the secretary of state's office.
While tension between the two hopefuls wasn't too far below the surface, they mostly left it to supporters in the crowd to sharply define their differences.
In sharp contrast with the race for governor between Democrat Lee Fisher and Republican Bob Taft, Ms. Tavares and Mr. Blackwell didn't accuse each other of lying. But they found more subtle ways to question the opponent's motivations.
Ms. Tavares, a state representative from Columbus, argued that Mr. Blackwell really doesn't want the job.
Before abandoning a bid for the Republican nomination for governor in January, Mr. Blackwell said his only other options were running for re-election as state treasurer or entering the private sector. The Tavares campaign has seized on a Jan. 25 Dayton Daily News column which quoted Mr. Blackwell as saying, "The only thing worse than running for secretary of state would be being secretary of state."
"I have no problem with my opponent aspiring for higher office. I have no problem with him not wanting to be secretary of state at a point in the campaign season," Ms. Tavares said. "What I have a problem with is the disdain for the office of secretary of state."
Mr. Blackwell denies uttering the exact words in the newspaper. Although Republican leaders promised him a $4 million political fund if he dropped his bid for governor and ran for secretary of state, he said any questions about his sincerity should be put to rest by the detailed agenda he has outlined for the office.
He called for tougher ethics laws for lobbyists, curbs on contributions from political action committees and the creation of a "legislative academy" to train an influx of new lawmakers as term limits force veteran legislators to retire.
"It became clear to me that one of the great challenges confronting the people of Ohio is cleaning up the political environment," Mr. Blackwell said. "Once I understood there was a clear contribution I could make . . . I won the nomination of my party."
Ms. Tavares would use the Internet to give teachers methods of tying voter education to various academic subjects.
Ms. Tavares wants to send birthday cards to Ohioans when they turn 18 with instructions on how to register to vote. And she vows to use the office to lobby Congress to make the Voting Rights Act permanent when the current version expires in 2007.
Mr. Blackwell boasted that he helped lead the fight earlier this year against a ballot initiative that would have raised the state sales tax to 6 percent from 5 percent.
Ms. Tavares was among a bipartisan majority who voted to put the initiative on the ballot.
Mirroring statements from Mr. Blackwell's campaign staff, an audience member asked Ms. Tavares to explain her position on campaign finance reform and "motor voter" legislation.
Ms. Tavares said she supported both proposals, but the Blackwell campaign later faxed copies of the House Journal that showed she voted against campaign finance reform and was absent for the motor-voter vote.
Later in the debate, a woman from a table of Tavares supporters asked Mr. Blackwell why he rejected Ms. Tavares' call for a voluntary spending limit of $1 million each on the campaign. The questioner noted Mr. Blackwell made an identical proposal when he was running against Mr. Taft for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
"My opponent at the time told me to get a life," Mr. Blackwell responded. "I engaged in the rules that were in place at the time and I encourage my opponent in this race to do the same thing."
