Joseph Cardamone, the city's former community development director, is the latest to join the open-seat race for mayor of distressed Scranton, Pa.
"I've handled everything that can come at you, and I don't see any major surprises being the mayor of Scranton," Cardamone told the Times-Tribune. "I just see some very difficult issues that need to be addressed."
Cardamone is the third Democrat in the race, joining tax collector Bill Courtright and former Lackawanna County chief of staff Elizabeth Randol. The Republican candidates are entrepreneur Marcel Lisi and financial consultant Gary Lewis.
Twelve-year Democratic incumbent Chris Doherty is not seeking re-election.
Cardamone told the newspaper he would ask Scranton workers for wage freezes to help control the city's wobbly finances. Last July, municipal employees were paid the federal minimum wage for two weeks while the city sought access to the capital markets.
