BURLINGTON — Boone County commissioner candidate Tim Alexander, facing criminal charges for his alleged involvement with a Covington company, has dropped out of next year's fiscal court race.

        Mr. Alexander, an insurance agent who has never held office, has been linked to Providence, a company that provides temporary payments to people hurt in accidents or to the survivors of people killed.

        Providence made national news when it sent letters to the families of 76 airline passengers who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

        Providence offered its services to the survivors of those killed and later sent a letter of apology on behalf of law firms it mentioned in the letter.

        Mr. Alexander and another Boone County man, Tony Lamb, face misdemeanor charges because Kenton County prosecutors say they failed to obtain city and county business licenses. Their trial was scheduled last week in Kenton County District Court, but has been postponed for a couple of months.

        In a statement Wednesday Mr. Alexander said the charges against him are “without substance or merit.”

        Mr. Alexander also said he is being attacked for political reasons, though he did not elaborate on who is behind the attacks nor was he available for additional comment.

        “Recently my character and integrity have come under attack,” Mr. Alexander said in the five-paragraph statement. “I have strong suspicion that these attacks were politically motivated. This assault on my character and integrity has not only affected me but also my family and church.

        “Before I decided to seek the office of Boone County Commissioner I often wondered why more qualified individuals did not seek to serve people through elected office,” he said. “I now understand.”

        County Commissioner Tim Hamilton, a Florence Democrat whom Mr. Alexander had been challenging, said he knows of no Democrats who had anything to do with Mr. Alexander's troubles.

        “I think this whole thing is unfortunate for him and his family,” Mr. Hamilton said Wednesday. “But as far as this being politically motivated, that simply isn't true.”

        In a statement last week, Boone County Democratic Chairwoman Phyllis Jones called for Mr. Alexander to drop out of the race.

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