BY SANDY THEIS
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
MEDINA, Ohio -- At Fenn Elementary School, Dorothy Keck's first-grade class zeroed in on the definitive question for Bob Taft, the Republican candidate for governor.
"Why do you want to be governor?" asked 7-year-old Steven.
"So I can help all children like you learn to read," he replied.
Then Mr. Taft, seated with 25 first-graders at his feet, proceeded to read The Little Old Lady Was Not Afraid Of A Thing to the captive but jittery crowd.
The stop kicked off his 12-hour day of campaigning -- a day spent mostly in northeastern Ohio cities that tend to favor Democrats.
"I expect to do well in central and southwest Ohio," Mr. Taft explained. "This is the one area where we hope to hold our own." Hammering his themes of experience and education reform, he chatted with a talk-radio host in Youngstown, received the endorsement of the Democratic mayor of Brooklyn and distributed campaign literature door-to-door in Mentor.
John Coyne, who served as Brooklyn's mayor for 51 years, called Mr. Taft "a man of honor."
"We've got to protect Social Security; we can't let 'em touch it," Mayor Coyne said, even though the governor has nothing to do with the federal program.
Alongside supporters, Mr. Taft confronted voters who appear unspired by both him and his Democratic rival, former Attorney General Lee Fisher.
Take 76-year-old Maxine Schutt, who seemed surprised when Mr. Taft and his entourage came knocking at her door.
She accepted his literature politely, invited reporters in for a chat, then pronounced both candidates for governor "sleazy." "I'm sorry," she said, "but I don't believe any of these politicians." She declined to say for whom she will vote next Tuesday.
Several others along the route made similar comments. None would say for whom they'll vote, and all decried the negative campaigning that has characterized this race.
Fenn Elementary School Principal Dave Knight said he attended a recent meeting of education leaders, and the host asked audience members with strong opinions on the candidates for governor to address the group.
"Not one person in that entire group said "yeah' for either one," he said.
When asked about Mr. Knight's experience, Mr. Taft expressed disappointment, but not surprise.
"I think that has to do with lowered expectations about what comes out of Columbus . . . in terms of dollars and also some frustrations about what comes out in terms of mandates and new requirements."
He supports some of those new requirements, including legislation passed last year that imposed new academic and financial requirements for primary and secondary schools. He also has promised to convene a Mandate Relief Summit.
On Thursday, he told reporters he also will study the state's formula for doling out funds for school buildings and repairs. Under the current formula, the poorest schools are first in line for building funds. Because demand for the money far exceeds the supply of funds, schools in middle-class communities receive little or no state money to repair, build or expand buildings.
Mr. Taft has called for spending a minimum of $300 million in the upcoming capital budget but conceded that the funds will be insufficient to handle the huge backlog of building needs.
"We're not going to be able to solve all these problems in a year or in a short period of time but I think the state needs to be a partner," he said.
With public opinion polls showing him up anywhere from 4 to 16 points, Mr. Taft appeared confident of victory, but reluctant to say it aloud.
He declined to comment on possible members of his Cabinet, or to say who would serve on his senior staff.
Campaign managers traditionally become a governor's chief of staff but Mr. Taft declined to say what role -- if any -- campaign manager Brian Hicks would play in a Taft administration.
Mr. Taft confirmed for the first time that Mr. Hicks volunteered to resign earlier this month after the campaign was reprimanded for intentionally lying in a campaign commercial.
When asked the significance of the reprimand, Mr. Taft said, "That means if it happens again, something worse happens."
Mr. Taft takes part today in the last of three debates between the four candidates for governor. The final is set for the Cleveland City Club, a tradition in Ohio politics noted for featuring tough questions from a partisan crowd.
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