Sal Panto Jr.
| Sal Panto, Jr. | |
|---|---|
Panto at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2010
|
|
| Mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2008[1] |
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| Preceded by | Phil Mitman[1] |
| In office 1984–1992 |
|
| Preceded by | Phil Mitman[2] |
| Succeeded by | Thomas F. Goldsmith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 29, 1951 Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Pam Searles |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Notre Dame High School (Easton, Pennsylvania) Lehigh University Kutztown University |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Salvatore "Sal" Panto Jr. (born November 29, 1951) is an American politician, businessman and current Mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Democratic Party.[2] Panto is a native of Easton, Pennsylvania.[2]
Contents
Education
Panto received a bachelor's degree from Kutztown University in 1973.[2] After completing his undergraduate studies, he taught for several years in the Easton Area School District becoming one of the more popular teachers at the school. Soon thereafter, he obtained a master's degree in administration in 1980 from Lehigh University.[2] In 2011, Lafayette College awarded Panto an Honorary Doctorate in Public Service.
Mayor of Easton (1984-1992)
In 1983, incumbent Republican Mayor Phil Mitman chose not to seek re-election.[2] Panto, already involved in local preservation and civic efforts, ran for the office, winning election in November 1983, becoming the youngest mayor at the age of 31 (Mayor Panto was 32 when he actually took office. He was elected in the Democratic Primary and also won a Republican write-in vote at the same time).[2] He was recognized as a leader among local government officials and elected to the position of President of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities (PLCM). As a Past President of PLCM, he continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Municipal League.[3] He was defeated for re-election in the 1991 mayoral election by Republican Thomas F. Goldsmith.[4]
Private Sector Work
After his defeat, Panto entered into the private sector, enjoying considerable success and garnering credit for his role in growing several businesses. Panto served in three senior management positions: Chief Administrative Officer of the Charles Chrin Companies, Senior Vice-President of Coordinated Health, and Chief Administrative Officer of Strausser Enterprises, Inc.[5]
Return to Office (2007-Present)
Incumbent Mayor Phil Mitman once again chose not to run for reelection in 2007.[4] Although enjoying success in the private sector, Panto entered the race to succeed Mitman.[6] He won the Democratic nomination over Michael P. Fleck.[6] His Republican opponent in the general election was Gary Bertsch, a relative newcomer to city politics who had moved to Easton in 2002.[2][6] Panto defeated Bertsch handily by a margin of nearly 2-to-1.[7] He was sworn into office on January 2, 2008.[1]
In 2008, Mayor Panto promoted the restoration of passenger rail service to Easton or Phillipsburg and possibly Allentown or Bethlehem, extending existing NJ Transit service from the Raritan Valley Line.[8]
Easton re-elected Panto to a second consecutive, four-year term in November 2011, defeating Republican Mike Krill in a landslide with 2,513 votes to Krill's 607 votes.[3][9]
Panto's campaign rested on his promise to make Easton "Clean & Safe" and financially solvent. The last seven years has seen a decrease in crime and gang activity coupled with a bond rating that has been increased from a BBB to an A+ rating, one of the few in the State of Pennsylvania. Mayor Panto has also led an economic development program that is experiencing more than $400 million in public and private investment leading to the creation of hundreds of new jobs in the city. Major projects include the adaptive reuse of the former Pomeroy building which has been vacant more than 35 years; Lafayette College’s North Third Street campus; connecting and upgrading the waterfront park to the city’ many streetscape projects; the intermodal/office which will also be home to upscale shopping and the LANTA transit hub; and Silk: A Creative Community which is a $75 million development converting a nineteenth century silk mill into a mixed use creative arts community. .[5]
Panto is active in the United States conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities (NLC), and he was recently named Vice-Chairman of the NLC Environmental Steering Committee. As Vice Chair Mayor Panto represents all cities nationally on issues ranging from energy policy to water quality to climate change, sustainability and resiliency. In 20112 Governor Tom Corbett appointed him to the Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System Board of Directors[5] In 2015 Mayor Panto was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Easton Hospital.
Awards
In 2014, Panto was awarded the Good Scout Award by the Minsi Trail Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He was also named Government Official of the Year by Preservation Pennsylvania. Others include the Planning Leadership Award from the American Planning Association.[10] He is also the winner of the 2014 LGBT Community Leader Award from the Pennsylvania Diversity Network.[11] This award recognized his ongoing commitment to LGBT equality. He has also received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from Easton Catholic Elementary School, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Award, The Easton area Democratic Committee Dr. George Smith Award, Easton Area Jaycee Distinguished Service Award, and the Historic Easton Member of the Year Ward. In 2012, the Delaware Valley Green Building Council presented Panto with the Sustainability Award for his efforts in improving the environmental friendliness of city buildings.
Personal
Born and raised in the City of Easton, Sal is married to the former Pam Searles. They have four children as well as five grandchildren. The couple lives on the city’s South Side where they were both born and raised.[5]
References
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- ↑ Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. says rail study 'has holes,' plans own task force Monday, June 07, 2010, By DOUGLAS B. BRILL, The Express-Times http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1275883506119710.xml&coll=3
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