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Thomas M. Leighton is an American Democratic politician who currently serves as the mayor of the city of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Political Tenure
Upon taking office in 2003, defeating former city leader Tom McGroarty for the Dems nomination, Leighton persuaded citizens that he was confident about Wilkes-Barre's future, particularly in the downtown sector. On June 9, 2005, Leighton unveiled his 'I believe...' campaign for Wilkes-Barre, which was intended to boost the city's spirits. Many residents were skeptical of the campaign, though construction had begun on a planned downtown 14-screen theatre complex (which will open on June 30, 2006), a downtown two-floor Barnes & Noble bookstore (scheduled for an August 5, 2006 opening) and renovation of the landmark Hotel Sterling was being pursued by CityVest, a nonprofit developer as well as the placement of new green street lights to replace wornout red lights in the Public Square and throughout most of the downtown area. The expansion of King's College and Wilkes University is also expected. Leighton faced near disaster in 2004 and 2006 when the city experienced flooding near the same levels of 1972's Hurricane Agnes, which destroyed the homes of 20,000 families, yet the city successfully tackled both incidents thanks to what the Army Corps of Engineers deemed the "modern" quality of the levee systems. The mayor did receive much critcism when local newspapers Times Leader and Citizen's Voice revelaed that violent crime has risen 39 percent under Leighton's watch.
External links
AP Report on the "I Believe... " Campaign
"Thomas M. Leighton"