Linda D. Thompson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Linda D. Thompson
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Linda Thompson during her Mayoral Inauguration at the Forum Building in Harrisburg on January 4, 2010.
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| Mayor of Harrisburg | |
| In office January 4, 2010 – January 6, 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Stephen R. Reed |
| Succeeded by | Eric Papenfuse |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1960 (age 64–65) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
Linda Deliah Thompson was born in 1960. She is an American politician. She served as the mayor of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Her term was from January 4, 2010, to January 6, 2014.
Linda Thompson made history in Harrisburg. She was the city's first female mayor. She was also the first black mayor of Harrisburg. After her time as mayor, she started LDT Ministries in 2016.
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Early Life and Education
Linda Thompson grew up in Harrisburg. She graduated from Harrisburg High School in 1979. After high school, she went to Howard University in Washington, DC.
At Howard University, she earned a degree in Communications. While studying, she also worked as an intern. She interned at the United States Department of Justice.
Political Journey
Linda Thompson began her political career in 2001. She was elected to the Harrisburg City Council. This council helps run the city. She was re-elected to the council in 2005. Then, she became the President of the City Council.
While on the council, Thompson worked on important ideas. She suggested selling city-owned art to help pay off debts. She also added money to the 2009 budget. This money was for a citywide trash pickup program.
Running for Mayor
In 2009, Thompson decided not to run for City Council again. Instead, she ran for mayor. She sought the Democratic Party's nomination. In the primary election that May, she won. She beat former mayor Stephen R. Reed by nearly 1,000 votes.
Even though she won the primary, the general election was close. Thompson won against Republican Nevin Mindlin by about 800 votes. As mayor, she faced challenges. The city had money problems. She tried to fix these issues.
Later Political Efforts
In 2013, Linda Thompson ran for re-election as mayor. However, she was not chosen by her party. Eric R. Papenfuse won the Democratic primary. He later became the next mayor.
In 2014, Thompson ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District. She was defeated by the current Republican representative, Scott Perry.
See also
- List of mayors of Harrisburg
- Harrisburg City Council
