Mayor Tom Leighton to "announce" tomorrow

I got a call this morning from a woman inviting me to Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton's 5:15 p.m. announcement tomorrow at Rodano's on the square. Interesting.

So I asked of her, "He's really going to do it? I didn't think he would." She responded with, "Come on down to Rodano's and find out. Okay, so we're going to play it like that, are we?

So I called and got Hizzoner on the cell phone. And I asked of him, "What are you going to announce? Are you going to do it, run for the state senate?" He said, "Come on down and find out." Okay, so we're going to play it like that, are we?

Being that he wouldn't tip his hand either way, I switched tactics.

I said, "If a mayor were to run for a state senate spot, and if that mayor were to win, how would we replace that mayor--by a special election?"

He said he believed that a replacement mayor would be chosen by the city council, to which I blurted, "We're going to let those kooks pick the next mayor?"

"No comment" was his predictable reply. That cracked me up. I've had his ear for many a year, but more often than not, my ears were treated to a steady stream of "no comment" or "off the record." And patting myself on the back, I've never once made him regret the "off the record" conversations.

By the way, before anybody gets their panties all bunched up, I was kidding when I made that crack about the council being a bunch of kooks. Kidding. Go easy, man.

Anyway, I told him that the thought of city council picking the next mayor made me instantly recollect the old Ted Nugent song "Free for all." But I quickly corrected myself by saying that I'm sure a deal would be in the works before council was even seated for that vote.

So, after a bit of small talk, that phone call did end. And I seriously doubt that Tom Leighton would hold a press conference and invite people to said event if he was going to announce that he was not interested in jumping into that state senatorial fray. A fray, by the way, that is so far limited to John Yudichak and John Yudichak only. But I'm of the firm opinion that he'll have himself an opponent come late day tomorrow.

And there you have it. Tomorrow, at 5:15, at Rodano's, Mayor Tom Leighton has something to announce.

And, no, I don't think it's about a return engagement to Wilkes-Barre for the Beach Boys.

Later