Lorenzo Langford (politician)
Encyclopedia
Lorenzo Tyrone Langford is the Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey and the resort city's second African American
mayor.
, Class of 1974. He first went to Atlantic Community College and then to North Carolina Central University
where he earned a Bachelor of Science
Degree
in Business Administration. Langford worked at casinos for 10 years, first as a dealer and eventually as a pit boss, but left when he was elected to City Council.
In 1992, Langford ran for City Council
in the Fourth Ward and defeated the incumbent Council President in an upset. He was twice re-elected to his ward seat while unsuccessfully running for mayor in 1993 and 1997 against incumbent Jim Whelan
.
On November 6, 2001, Langford was elected mayor, defeating Whelan 56 to 43 percent on the strength of absentee ballots.
Langford left office at the end of his term after losing the 2005 primary to Bob Levy
.
In the special election mayoral primary in June 2008 following Levy's resignation, Langford defeated incumbent mayor Scott Evans
. Langford easily won the special mayoral election on November 4, 2008 by a wide margin to serve out the remainder of Levy's term.
Backed by the local Democratic organization, Langford won a contentious June 2009 primary election against 2nd Ward Councilman Martin Small, who was supported by Whelan. In the November General Election, Langford won a full four year term by defeating Republican candidate Jesse Kurtz with nearly a three to one margin.http://elections.nytimes.com/2009/results/new-jersey.html New Jersey's Attorney General
has brought voter fraud charges against Small and 13 campaign workers for allegedly submitting absentee ballots for people who did not vote. A jury found them not guilty in March 2011.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
mayor.
Biography
Langford was educated in the Atlantic City public school system and graduated from Atlantic City High SchoolAtlantic City High School
Atlantic City High School is a four-year public high school located in Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Atlantic City School District. The current school building opened in 1994 and holds approximately 2,500 students...
, Class of 1974. He first went to Atlantic Community College and then to North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University is a public historically black university in the University of North Carolina system, located in Durham, North Carolina, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels....
where he earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
Degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in Business Administration. Langford worked at casinos for 10 years, first as a dealer and eventually as a pit boss, but left when he was elected to City Council.
In 1992, Langford ran for City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
in the Fourth Ward and defeated the incumbent Council President in an upset. He was twice re-elected to his ward seat while unsuccessfully running for mayor in 1993 and 1997 against incumbent Jim Whelan
Jim Whelan
Jim Whelan is an American Democratic Party politician, who serves in the New Jersey State Senate where he represents the 2nd legislative district, having taken office on January 8, 2008....
.
On November 6, 2001, Langford was elected mayor, defeating Whelan 56 to 43 percent on the strength of absentee ballots.
Langford left office at the end of his term after losing the 2005 primary to Bob Levy
Bob Levy (politician)
Robert W. Levy, Sr., known as Bob Levy, is a Democratic politician and the former mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey. In September 2007, Levy disappeared from Atlantic City without telling the public or the press why he was leaving. His sudden absence sparked a controversy over who should become...
.
In the special election mayoral primary in June 2008 following Levy's resignation, Langford defeated incumbent mayor Scott Evans
Scott Evans
Scott Evans may refer to:*Scott Evans , American actor*Scott Evans , Irish badminton player*Scott Evans , American football player*Scott Evans , lacrosse player...
. Langford easily won the special mayoral election on November 4, 2008 by a wide margin to serve out the remainder of Levy's term.
Backed by the local Democratic organization, Langford won a contentious June 2009 primary election against 2nd Ward Councilman Martin Small, who was supported by Whelan. In the November General Election, Langford won a full four year term by defeating Republican candidate Jesse Kurtz with nearly a three to one margin.http://elections.nytimes.com/2009/results/new-jersey.html New Jersey's Attorney General
Anne Milgram
Anne Milgram was the Attorney General of New Jersey from June 2007 to January 2010.Milgram had served as First Assistant Attorney General, the second-highest position in the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, having taken office on February 14, 2006...
has brought voter fraud charges against Small and 13 campaign workers for allegedly submitting absentee ballots for people who did not vote. A jury found them not guilty in March 2011.