Pubdate: Sat, 22 Jul 2000
Source: Cincinnati Enquirer (OH)
Copyright: 2000 The Cincinnati Enquirer
Contact:  http://enquirer.com/editor/letters.html
Website: http://enquirer.com/today/
Author: Janice Morse and Steve Kemme, Howard Wilkinson contributed

DRUG EDUCATION ADS FEATURE 2 BUTLER CANDIDATES

Opponents Say Their Use Is Unfair

HAMILTON -- Two Butler County officeholders running for re-election are
using thousands of drug-seizure dollars to pay for drug-education
advertisements that include their names and photographs.

Butler County Prosecutor John F. Holcomb and Sheriff Harold Don Gabbard say
there's nothing wrong with the practice. But their political opponents say
it's not right because the ads serve as pre-election exposure for the
incumbents -- at no cost to the officeholders' campaigns.

Sheriff Gabbard, a Republican, has used these types of ads, chiefly on
billboards, regularly for seven years. Earlier this month, Mr. Holcomb, a
Democrat, started a $25,000 advertising campaign, running large newspaper
ads that urge parents to contact his office for information on how to
prevent their children from using drugs.

Ohio law allows use of money seized from drug offenders for public drug
awareness education.

"Even though (the ads) don't say vote against somebody or vote for somebody,
they do tend to be campaign advertisements," said Mike Chanslor, a research
specialist at the Julian P. Kantor Political Commercial Archive at the
University of Oklahoma in Norman.

"Clearly when you run things this time of year with your picture in them ...
it's hard to imagine doing that without thinking in some way that it's going
to help with your re-election effort."

Sheriff Gabbard, however, uses the informational ads all year long,
sometimes without his photo, said Col. Richard K. Jones, the sheriff's chief
deputy. The sheriff also stops the ads in August to avoid accusations that
they're being used for political purposes, Col. Jones said.

Still, Alan Laney, the Democratic candidate for sheriff, said he thinks it's
wrong for an officeholder to include his name and likeness in such ads.

"To me, those drug funds are to fight drugs," he said. "I don't think it's
appropriate to use that money to champion an individual's efforts so that
notoriety is obtained."

The sheriff spent roughly $4,000 on the ads this year, Col. Jones said.

The sheriff's campaign fund held about $131,000 as of mid-April -- and
that's tough enough for a challenger to fight, said Mr. Laney. He said he
put about $8,000 of his own money in his campaign fund, which had a zero
balance as of mid-April.

Mr. Holcomb has an even bigger campaign fund: about $164,200, much of it
resulting from the controversial "2 Percent Club." Many of his own employees
contribute about 2 percent of their salaries.

In contrast, his opponent, Republican Robin Piper, had $3,800 in mid-April.

Mr. Holcomb said the cost of running the anti-drug ad in The Cincinnati
Enquirer and two local newspapers was $24,882 -- money that came from the
drug-seizure fund, not his campaign fund.

Mr. Holcomb said the purpose of the ad is to gain a wider distribution of a
drug-education pamphlet for parents.

"It gives parents signs of drug use to watch for and it talks about
parenting skills and the importance of listening to your kids when they're
talking," he said.

One ad features a photograph of a woman and her daughter happily walking
down a street, eating ice cream cones. Another shows a man and his son at
the dinner table.

A line at the bottom of the ad says, "For a free pamphlet on how to talk to
your kids about drugs, call Prosecutor John Holcomb at 887-3492."

"It does have my name on the bottom of it, but that's just to say who issued
the ad," Mr. Holcomb said.

Mr. Holcomb defended the ad and accused Mr. Piper of raising a phony issue.

"There's nothing in the ad that says to vote for me or that heaps accolades
on me," Mr. Holcomb said. He noted that other officeholders have issued
educational pamphlets, sometimes bearing their photographs.

But Joe Statzer, political director of the county Republican party, said he
sees differences between the sheriff's use of the ads and Mr. Holcomb's.

"The sheriff uses this on a regular basis and doesn't use this in a cheap
campaign stunt like John Holcomb does, three and a half months before the
election," Mr. Statzer said.

Don Daiker, chairman of the county Democratic party, did not return a
telephone call seeking comment.
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