SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) – President-Elect Joe Biden has lived his life in the political spotlight now for nearly a half-century. But long before he served in Washington, he called Scranton “home” as a child.
A former Mayor of The Electric City shares his memories of the president-elect he has known for decades.
“I’ve been for Joe right from the beginning. He always came home,” said Jimmy Connors, Biden Delegate, Former Scranton Mayor.
Scranton native Jimmy Connors is proud of his fellow Scrantonian, President-Elect Joe Biden, a man who Connors says may have left Scranton as a 10-year-old, but never really left.
“He never forgot us. This is home. We love him here,” said Connors.
That love Connors describes followed Biden through all of the ups and downs of a political life. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, Biden twice ran unsuccessfully for the presidency and passed on a presidential run in 2016 after completing two terms as Vice President during the Obama years.
But this year Biden emerged as the Democratic presidential nominee with Connors becoming a Biden delegate.
“I’m thrilled because I picked him out when there were 21 contestants in the Democracy primary. I said Joe is the one wo can win. He has what it takes. And guess what? He does have what it takes,” said Connors.
And what it takes, according to the former Scranton mayor, are lessons learned throughout his life which started growing up on North Washington Avenue.