Know Your Mayors (18 of 21) - Tom Leppert of Dallas, Texas

We are continuing our public service series "Know Your Mayors," which seems as popular as classroom biology films from the '70s, with a profile of Tom Lepppert, the mayor of Dallas, Texas, the city hosting this weekend's NBA All-Star Game (the game is actually being played in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, TX). The Dallas Mavericks have been struggling, but they remain in playoff contention.

Leppert, born on June 15, 1954, was elected mayor in June, 2007. He won a run-off election with city councilman Ed Oakley. Leppert condemned anti-gay robocalls aimed at the openly gay Oakley which were run by the the Heritage Alliance PAC. Leppert got 58 percent of the vote in the election.

Even though the mayor's office is non-paritsan, Leppert is believed to be a Republican, according to Wikipedia, but he has emphasized a growth in city government and supported indoor smoking ordinances which have been opposed by traditional conservatives in Dallas. Leppert is also considered moderate to liberal in the areas of education and homelessness.

In the web site for the mayor's office, Leppert said that he has worked to improve the quality of life in Dallas by reducing the crime rate and luring big companies, like AT & T, to the downtown area.

Leppert has also lead trade delegations to China, Taiwan and Mexico.

Before entering civic life, Leppert was the CEO of Turner Construction where he helped the company earn more profits in seven years than it had in the previous 97 years combined.

During his tenure, Dallas has made friendship city pacts with two Chinese cities.

He was preceded in office by former mayor Laura Miller.

Leppert also has college degrees from Claremont McKenna College and Harvard University.

SIDEBAR_ The Washington, DC, area was hit with yet another major snowstorm yesterday. As a result, the City of Rockville, Md., has postponed its Town Hall meeting scheduled for 8:00 p.m. tonight. The city is also asking residents to stay home while road crews clean up the freaking mess....well, that wasn't exactly how they worded it on their web page!