Latest News — February 17, 2010 9:34 — 46 Comments
With city “on road to recovery,” Leighton sets sights on Senate post
By Andrew Staub (Citizens Voice Staff Writer)
WILKES-BARRE – Standing in the entrance to Rodano’s on Public Square on Tuesday night, Tom Leighton couldn’t spend a second without shaking a hand, receiving a compliment or just taking time to talk to supporters of his just-announced decision to run for state Senate.
“This is probably not the best location,” Wilkes-Barre’s mayor pointed out – especially for an interview.
Not the best, but maybe the most fitting.
Leighton used Rodano’s as an example of the change he’s helped bring to Wilkes-Barre in his six years as mayor. A massive vacant building turned bustling Friday night hangout makes for good proof he can help the people of the 14th Senatorial District, Leighton said.
“Not too long ago, Wilkes-Barre was written off as a city in decline, thought never to return to its former prominence,” Leighton said during his address. “But with a strong committed vision from the community of political leaders, local business owners and the people of Wilkes-Barre, our city is on the road to recovery.”
Wilkes-Barre’s revamped downtown garnered much of the attention during Leighton’s announcement he’d run for the seat long held by retiring state Sen. Raphael Musto. Leighton wants to take that type of development to Pittston, Jim Thorpe and other communities in the 14th District, he said, promising to restore faith in government, create jobs and push for property tax relief.
“I have never shied away from making tough decisions, nor neglected to tackle the challenges confronting our community,” he said, “and so it will be in Harrisburg.”
With about two years left in his term as mayor, Leighton will remain in office during the campaign, he said, leaving only should he win the seat.
Though local political rumblings have had him pegged for a run since Musto retired Jan. 27, Leighton kept the news of his candidacy mostly quiet until Tuesday. And when the secret fell, it fell in party fashion.
Leighton’s supporters, as well as Democratic leaders such as Luzerne County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla and county party Chairman Mark Bufalino, packed the bar/restaurant for the announcement. They chatted, grabbed pizza and generally just schmoozed in the bar, which was adorned with shamrocks and signs supporting Leighton.
The atmosphere was decidedly different than that of Leighton’s Democratic challenger, state Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke. Surrounded by construction workers, Yudichak entered the fray for the 14th District last week in an address at the construction site of the Culinary Arts Institute in Nanticoke.
Yudichak has welcomed Leighton’s competition, and Leighton has not shied from the challenge, either – though both so far have remained hospitable toward each other in public comments.
If anything, this particular Democratic race will pit two candidates with name recognition against each other in the May 18 primary, Wilkes University political science professor Tom Baldino said. Both have experience on which to run, he said, with Yudichak’s 12 years in the state House and Leighton’s two terms as Wilkes-Barre’s top administrator.
If the race remains civil, Baldino said, it could give each a chance to sharpen their campaign message before November’s general election.
“If you look at this race and it doesn’t degenerate into name-calling, whoever wins shouldn’t be any worse the wear except in the pocketbook,” he said.
The Luzerne County Democratic Party’s executive committee will meet sometime before the primary, Bufalino said, and decide whether it will endorse a candidate.
Asked at Rodano’s about any potential endorsement, Wilkes-Barre City Council President Bill Barrett had a tough time answering the question, commending the service of both Leighton and Yudichak. He didn’t, however, hesitate to point out the job Leighton has done in Wilkes-Barre, the backdrop of the downtown providing a picture of change.
“That speaks for itself,” Barrett said.
astaub@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2052
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