Williams endorses Obama

The mayor is considering making campaign stops for the presidential candidate.

By DAVID SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spent the past few weeks seeking the endorsement of Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams.

After a number of discussions, the hard work paid off — Williams is officially supporting Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois.

“They were pursuing me incessantly,” Williams said. “They were very persistent.”

Though Williams was leaning toward supporting Obama, he was not ready to endorse as recently as last week.

The mayor said there’s a lot to admire about Obama: He’s an excellent speaker, he has the ability to inspire others and “he’s seen as an agent of change.”

“I can sit and watch it go by or be involved,” said Williams.

Williams, a registered Democrat who won the 2005 mayoral race as an independent, has joined Obama’s National Mayors Council.

The council also includes mayors from Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis; Durham, N.C.; and Newark, N.J.; and Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman.

Williams will call other mayors and urban leaders he knows to generate support for Obama.

“We’re grateful for Mayor Williams’ support and believe he’ll provide our campaign a boost by recruiting other urban leaders and offering advice on community redevelopment policy,” said Ben LaBolt, an Obama spokesman. “He shares Barack Obama’s belief in building coalitions and working with Democrats and Republicans to get things done.”

Williams said he’s been asked to campaign for Obama with a focus on the 22 states holding Democratic primaries and caucuses Feb. 5.

But the Obama campaign also asked Williams to campaign in South Carolina leading to that state’s primary on Jan. 26.

Williams can’t fit that into his schedule and he hasn’t agreed to go anywhere at this point.

“If it doesn’t interfere with my duties as mayor, I’ll make appearances and surrogate stops,” he said.

That work would most likely be done on weekends, Williams said.

Williams acknowledged he doesn’t enjoy campaigning for other politicians.

“It’s not my favorite part of the job,” he said. “I’m sticking my neck out, but it’s a unique opportunity to be part of a historic campaign.”

Williams attended a fundraiser for Obama in Boardman in June, leaving the event impressed with the candidate.

Williams said Obama’s next visit to the Mahoning Valley should be at an open-air rally, preferably in downtown Youngstown.

Williams’ endorsement won’t mean much if the Democratic nomination is wrapped up by Ohio’s March 4 primary, said Paul Sracic, chairman of Youngstown State University’s political science department.

“I don’t see what impact Jay Williams would have on voters in Nevada,” if he went to that state as an Obama surrogate, he said.

But if the race is undecided by March 4, Williams’ endorsement would carry a lot of weight in the Mahoning Valley, one of the most Democratic regions of the state, Sracic said.

“If the nomination is decided in March and not February, this could become significant,” he said.

skolnick@vindy.com