Lorenzo Langford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lorenzo Langford
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|---|---|
| Mayor of Atlantic City | |
| In office 2008–2014 |
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| Preceded by | Scott K. Evans |
| Succeeded by | Don Guardian |
| In office January 1, 2002 – 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Whelan |
| Succeeded by | Bob Levy |
| Atlantic City Councilman | |
| In office 1992–2001 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | September 1955 (age 69–70) Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
Lorenzo Tyrone Langford (born around 1955) is an American politician. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Langford is from Atlantic City, New Jersey. He served as the Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey twice. He was also the second African American mayor of Atlantic City.
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About Lorenzo Langford
Early Life and Education
Lorenzo Langford grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He attended public schools there. In 1973, he graduated from Atlantic City High School.
After high school, he went to Atlantic Community College. This college is now known as Atlantic Cape Community College. Later, he studied at North Carolina Central University. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
Career Before Politics
Before becoming a politician, Langford worked in casinos for 10 years. He started as a dealer. Over time, he became a pit boss. He left the casino industry when he was elected to the City Council.
Political Career
Serving on the City Council
In 1992, Langford decided to run for City Council. He ran in the Fourth Ward. He won the election, defeating the person who was already the Council President. This was a big surprise victory.
He was re-elected to his council seat two more times. During this time, he also ran for mayor in 1993 and 1997. However, he did not win against the mayor at the time, Jim Whelan.
First Term as Mayor
On November 6, 2001, Lorenzo Langford was elected mayor. He won against Jim Whelan. Langford received 56 percent of the votes, while Whelan received 43 percent. He became mayor thanks to many absentee ballots.
Langford's first term as mayor ended in 2006. He lost the primary election in 2005 to Bob Levy.
Second Term as Mayor
In June 2008, a special election was held for mayor. This happened after Mayor Levy resigned. Langford ran and won the primary election. He defeated the current mayor, Scott Evans.
On November 4, 2008, Langford easily won the special mayoral election. He served the rest of Levy's term.
In June 2009, Langford won a challenging primary election. He was supported by the local Democratic organization. In the general election that November, Langford won a full four-year term. He defeated Republican candidate Jesse Kurtz by a large margin.
Challenges During His Term
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy was approaching. Governor Chris Christie criticized Mayor Langford. The governor said Langford told people they could stay home or go to a school near the ocean. This was different from the governor's order to evacuate.
Newspaper articles from that time showed that Langford encouraged people to leave if they could. However, city schools were opened as a "shelter of last resort" for those who could not leave. Governor Christie later said that Langford had "failed" as mayor. He also said it was "impossible to work with" him.
End of Mayoral Service
In the 2013 mayoral election, Langford ran again. However, he was defeated by his Republican opponent, Don Guardian. Lorenzo Langford left office on January 1, 2014.
