Blackwell talks with local faith leaders

The two candidates have yet to agree on times and settings for debates.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Voters should consider qualifications and experience and not political party affiliation when they cast ballots for governor in November, said Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, the Republican nominee for the post.
Blackwell spent more than 90 minutes Thursday talking to a group of about 40 people, primarily Youngstown black faith leaders, about the campaign and why they should support him over U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland of Lisbon, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate. The meeting was at the Center for Community Empowerment at Rockford Village on the city's East Side.
"This is about track record and performance and not party labels," Blackwell said.
Strickland agrees.
"If people like what they've received from [Gov.] Bob Taft and Ken Blackwell for the past 12 years, then vote for him," Strickland said. "If they want change and new leadership then they should vote for me."
Strickland said he would match his professional experience against Blackwell.
"I've been a teacher, a minister, a psychologist, a child-care administrator and a congressman," Strickland said. "My experiences make me better to be governor than Blackwell. Ken Blackwell has been in state political leadership for almost a decade and a half, and look at the state. He is incompetent in how he's conducted elections. I represent change, and that's what people want."
Courting black voters
Blackwell, a black conservative from Cincinnati, is seeking support from black faith leaders statewide. He acknowledged that black voters typically cast ballots for Democrats, but he asked those in attendance to consider experience, ability and knowledge in the gubernatorial race.
"I'm asking you to make a choice and to not sit on the sidelines," he said. "You can make a difference. The African-American community needs a two-party system. Right now, we have one party [Democrats] that takes you for granted and another [Republicans] that writes you off."
Blackwell says he typically gets about 40 percent of the black vote when he's run statewide. Pointing to that, he said accusations from Strickland and others that he's worked to suppress the black vote in Ohio isn't true.
Quoting Robert F. Kennedy as easily as biblical passages, Blackwell told stories of growing up poor in a Cincinnati public housing complex and making a success of himself through hard work and overcoming adversity.
Blackwell said his positions on slashing the state budget, reforming the tax code, providing more money for classroom instruction, supporting school choice, providing more tort reform and opposing abortion will move Ohio in the right direction.
In an interview after his presentation, Blackwell said he didn't have an opportunity Thursday to talk to Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, but plans to meet with him shortly.
Williams is a registered Democrat who won the mayoral race last year as an independent. Williams has met with Strickland and wants to meet with Blackwell before deciding if he'll endorse either candidate.
Blackwell, who trails Strickland in polls, said he will continue to pressure the Democratic nominee to debate. Strickland said last week that he would debate Blackwell any time in any place.
"We're going to push him every day on public debates," Blackwell said. "The public should be allowed to compare our records and visions for Ohio. Over the next nearly five months, I'm going to make the case that my record and experience is superior to his."
The two camps are to meet Monday to iron out a debate schedule.
skolnick@vindy.com