Pubdate: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 Source: Blade, The (Toledo, OH) Copyright: 2002 The Blade Contact: http://www.toledoblade.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/48 Author: James Drew SUPPORT OF ISSUE 1 COULD GIVE HAGAN BOOST, EXPERTS SAY COLUMBUS - By embracing Issue 1, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Hagan could benefit from a big-dollar TV ad campaign urging Ohioans to support the drug offender treatment issue, political experts said yesterday. Mr. Hagan, who announced his support for the ballot initiative Saturday, also could use Issue 1 to help boost turnout among likely Democratic voters, particularly African-Americans, they said. "I could imagine a scenario where Issue 1 fails by a small margin and Hagan actually wins because of the Issue 1 TV ads and then he gets other votes because he's the Democratic candidate," said John Green, a political science professor at the University of Akron. If voters on Nov. 5 approve the constitutional amendment, treatment would be an option for any nonviolent first or second-drug offenders - and the counting would start after passage of the initiative. "We all know someone who has struggled with addiction," said Mr Hagan, a former Cuyahoga County commissioner. "These are individuals who, if given the help they need, can once again become productive citizens. We owe it to them and we owe it to ourselves to give them that opportunity." Republican Gov. Bob Taft and First Lady Hope Taft are leading the opposition to Issue 1, saying its passage would enable airline pilots, day care workers, and school bus drivers to conceal their drug offenses from current and future employers. Mr. Hagan won't appear in any Issue 1 TV or radio ads, but he is welcome at rallies and news conferences, said Ed Orlett, director of the pro-Issue 1 group, the Ohio Campaign for New Drug Policies. Statewide ballot issues have helped "underdog" candidates in some campaigns, including the 1998 governor's race in South Carolina, said Dr. Green. Democrat Jim Hodges defeated incumbent Republican Gov. David Beasley, in part by backing the expansion of video poker and vowing to spend lottery proceeds on all-day kindergarten and public school construction. Mr. Hagan's support for the drug offender treatment issue may benefit his gubernatorial campaign, but it likely won't affect the outcome of the Issue 1 battle, Dr. Green said. "Many Democrats support it, but many Democrats don't. It is an issue that cuts across party lines," he said. "I don't think it does him any damage to be for it, unless there is some movement against Issue 1, which I don't see," said Bill Binning, political science department chairman at Youngstown State University. Issue 1 could motivate turnout by blacks who feel that drug laws and imprisonment patterns "disproportionately hurt the African-American community," said Herb Asher, a political science professor at Ohio State. That could give Mr. Hagan a major boost, he added. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart