Reilly camp hits Healey on underage drinking ad

In a battle of potential gubernatorial rivals, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly's campaign yesterday called on Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey to stop airing taxpayer-funded radio ads that mention Healey as a leader in an effort to curb underage drinking.

But a spokesman for the state Department of Public Health, which is spending $190,000 to buy airtime for the ads, immediately rejected Reilly's demand and defended the commercial as a valid use of public dollars, particularly during winter vacation when many teens drink.

''The ad conveys an important message to teens during a very critical time of year," the spokesman, Dick Powers, said yesterday. ''It's an ad intended to keep teens safe, not get someone elected governor."

Specifically the ad mentions Healey's name in what is known as a ''tagline" at the end.

''A message from the Governor's Interagency Council on Substance Use and Prevention, Lieutenant Governor, Kerry Healey, Chair, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Abuse Services," the ad reads, according to a transcript provided by Healey's office.

The text of the ad, though drafted by the Department of Public Health, was sent to Healey's aides for approval. The Governor's Interagency Council on Substance Use is a panel intended to encourage efforts to reduce alcohol and drug abuse.

''It wasn't done to highlight her. It was done to highlight the work of the council, of which she is the chairperson," Powers said of the ad, which cost $10,000 to produce and is airing in Boston, Worcester, Springfield, New Bedford, and on Cape Cod.

The ad is airing at a sensitive time for Reilly, who has been criticized by Healey for urging a district attorney not to release autopsy reports for two teenagers who died in a car crash last year. The girls, whose father contributed to Reilly's campaign, were seen drinking prior to the accident, according to a police report.

Yesterday, aides to Reilly tried to take the offensive, saying it is ''a completely inappropriate use of taxpayer money" to mention Healey, a Republican who is widely believed to be a candidate for governor, in the ad.

Republican Party officials sought yesterday to show that Reilly also uses public dollars to promote himself. They sent reporters an Internet link to a calendar that Reilly's office distributes to seniors. It features a color photo of Reilly inside, along with a list of helpful telephone numbers.