John Mangels and Scott Stephens
Plain Dealer Reporters

Gov. Bob Taft's unwillingness to weigh in on the debate about what Ohio students should learn regarding the development of life on Earth doesn't sit well with his constituents.

Nearly three-fourths of the state's residents want Taft to publicly disclose his position on whether schools should teach evolution or intelligent design, The Plain Dealer's Ohio Poll shows.

Even more think the 19 members of the state Board of Education - the group that ultimately will decide what is taught in science classes - should reveal where they stand before the board votes in December.

Taft, who is in the midst of a re-election campaign, has remained mum on the potentially divisive subject, although his campaign staff did include a question on intelligent design in a recent political poll. As governor, Taft appoints nearly half the board and has proclaimed himself the "education governor."

Taft spokesman Joe Andrews said Thursday that the governor found The Plain Dealer poll results interesting and was closely monitoring the school board deliberations, but that he continues to believe the matter is for the board to decide.

While that may be true procedurally, Taft's silence also is a concession to the political pitfalls of making his stance known, some analysts say.

Since The Plain Dealer's poll shows that support for disclosure is broad-based among Ohioans - shared by liberals and conservatives, and backers of evolution as well as those who favor intelligent design - Taft stands to alienate some voters no matter which posture he takes.

The same is true for the 11 elected members of the state Board of Education, five of whom face re-election in November. Like Taft, board members have, for the most part, declined to say how they feel about the evolution/intelligent design debate, saying they are still gathering information and haven't made up their minds.

The fact that Ohioans' desire to know where their elected officials stand cuts across typical voting lines "puts these politicians in a significant bind," said University of Akron political scientist John Green. "They lose either way; they're likely to offend as many as they please."

Taft's Democratic gubernatorial opponent, former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan, has chided the governor on several occasions for his reluctance to publicly address what to teach.

"I'm still stunned the governor has not said unequivocally that he understands the distinctions between religious convictions and science," said Hagan, who favors teaching only evolution in science classes. "Bob Taft has an obligation to stand up and say to the Board of Education and the people of Ohio that we believe in the separation of church and state, that we respect individual beliefs but we will not try to impose any one view."

The poll found that the evolution/intelligent design debate doesn't currently dominate the gubernatorial and state school board races, but it could affect their outcomes. About half of Ohio's registered voters said the position the governor and school board members take on the issue will influence how they vote this fall.

"People want to know where public officials stand on anything," said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, the Washington firm that conducted The Plain Dealer's poll. With that level of interest, it's inevitably that Taft will be confronted with the issue of what to teach about how life arose.

"At some time in the campaign, somebody's going to ask him about this," Coker said. "You can run, but in an election year you can't hide."

© 2002 The Plain Dealer.

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