Ad watch: Pepper's 'Takeover'

AD: "Takeover," a 15-second commercial for mayoral candidate David Pepper, started on broadcast stations today. Produced by the Campaign Group, Philadelphia, Penn.

SCRIPT: Male announcer: "Mark Mallory's first proposal: Have the mayor take over the Cincinnati's schools. The Cincinnati Post wrote 'Mark Mallory couldn't be more wrong.' Putting City Hall politicians in charge of our schools would 'make it worse.' Join parents and teachers in rejecting Mark Mallory's plan."

VISUALS: Photos of Mallory and graphics imposed on slow-moving footage of school children taking tests. The script of the ad appears on the screen, one phrase at a time.

FACT CHECK: Mallory, a state senator, introduced Senate Bill 46 in February. The bill would give Cincinnati's mayor the same power Cleveland's has -- to appoint the school board and school superintendent. The ad accurately quotes a Feb. 5 Cincinnati Post editorial, "Don't Make It Worse," which also said the Mallory plan was "a bold idea" that "stands on a foundation so weak that it doesn't pass the laugh test." Many teacher and parent groups also oppose the plan. But three weeks before the election, the controversy isn't over the plan itself -- but whether it still belongs to Mallory. While Senate rules don't allow a senator to withdraw a bill once it's been introduced, Mallory has asked the Senate Education Committee not to hold hearings on it. He said he no longer wishes to push the plan, citing local opposition and improvement in the Cincinnati Public Schools' state report card. But the Pepper campaign points to Mallory campaign literature -- produced even after he abandoned the plan before the primary -- in which Mallory described the plan and said "it's time to stop passing the buck on our public schools."

STRATEGY: This is the first negative ad of the campaign, and it's an easy shot to take -- especially since Mallory no longer fully supports the bill. The 15-second format is designed for high repetition; by contract, the ad has to run twice during the same commercial break.

RESPONSE: "I have shelved that plan," Mallory said. "I said that to the newspaper. I wrote a letter to the CFT (Cincinnati Federation of Teachers) to that effect. I've said it at forums, I've said it at debates, and it's a shame that David Pepper won't let the issue go. It is off the table. It's a non-issue."