Political Career
Lightner was among the first African Americans elected to political office following passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. He was already well-established as a business and community leader in the city. His leadership stature won him election to Raleigh City Council, where he served from 1967 until 1973, until he was elected as mayor. He defeated G. Wesley Williams in the mayoral campaign. Lightner served as a charter member of the Southern Conference of Black Mayors, the parent organization of the National Conference of Black Mayors.
After serving as mayor, Lightner was appointed by Governor Jim Hunt in 1977 to replace State Senator John Winters, who had resigned. Lightner served the remainder of Winters' term until 1978.
In his next role in public life, Lightner was appointed chairman of the Southeast Raleigh Improvement Commission from 1993 to 2001, where he created groundwork for business development, implemented the Small Business Success Program, and created an incubation program for small businesses. He had long been a member of the National Business League. As a member of the Democratic National Committee, Lightner was a delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
Read more about this topic: Clarence Lightner
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