On the SidE. . .

ON THE SIDE. . .
This and that from the world of Valley politics.
BRING DOWN THAT WALL: The Rev. Jay Alford of Youngstown is taking a plunge into the deep end of the political pool with the creation of Citizens for Public Service.
Mr. Alford wants his new political group, of which he co-chairs, to bring the minority and the faith-based communities together to recruit, support and elect political leaders.
Mr. Alford has a history of political activism. He's a vocal opponent of statewide gambling initiatives, including the one defeated last month, and organized a group of about 100 pastors to publicly support Jay Williams during his successful Youngstown mayoral bid in 2005. Mr. Alford was also a supporter of Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell's failed gubernatorial campaign this year.
The group wants to endorse candidates as early as the May 2007 primary. Because the group isn't recognized as an official political party in Ohio, and based on state law, probably will never be, it would have to field candidates in the Republican and/or Democratic primaries.
As for the separation of church and state, Mr. Alford said it is a "false wall" built by those who want to keep faith out of politics.
skolnick@vindy.com