Retired Judge James “Jimmy” DeLeon, who was born and raised in West Philly, served on Philadelphia Municipal Court for 34 years and faced disciplinary issues twice. He graduated from Howard University and then later on Widener Law, spending some time working for the PHA and running his own practice.
One of DeLeon’s main objectives as mayor is to implement what he calls the Local Incident Management System (LIMS), which would create a set of processes and procedures which would be used by the city government to combat gun violence.
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Previous elected experience: Served on Municipal Court 34 years. Ran unsuccessfully for Pa. Supreme Court and Pa. Superior court.
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How long in Philly? Raised in West Philly, he now lives in Germantown.
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Big wins: After retiring from his long judge career, chaired the legal committee for the Democratic City Committee.
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Potential eyebrow raisers: A charge that DeLeon illegally misstated the timing of some contributions during his 2003 campaign for Supreme Court was eventually dismissed, but he was found guilty in 2008 of issuing a bogus “stay away order” on behalf of a friend.
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What’s his network? DeLeon is affiliated with Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, worked as a safety instructor for Salvation Army, and is an active member of the Masons.
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Vibe: In his own words, a “no-shenanigans-let’s-follow-the-law-there-will-be-order-in-the-courtroom” candidate.
Website: deleonformayor.info