stay informed

About Lou

Born and raised in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Lou Barletta learned the value of hard work at an early age. Lou worked side by side with his father Rocky, mother Angeline and his three brothers in the family business – A. Barletta and Sons Road Construction, and Barletta Heating Oil.

After graduating from Hazleton High School and attending Luzerne County Community and Bloomsburg State Colleges, Lou left school early to pursue a major-league baseball career, trying out with the Cincinnati Reds. He jokes that his inability to hit a curve ball led him back to Hazleton.

Once home, Lou married the former MaryGrace Malloy. The couple has four daughters: Kelly, 27; April 26; Lindsey, 23; and Grace, 21.

In 1984, Lou and MaryGrace founded Interstate Road Marking Corp., a pavement marking business. Starting with just small spray paint cans, they built IRM into the largest pavement marking contractor in Pennsylvania.

By the mid-1990s, Lou became concerned about the direction Hazleton was heading. And even though the city was overwhelmingly Democratic in voter registration, Lou campaigned for and won a seat on city council – the only elected Republican on the five-member board.

It was during his first term that Lou saw that, despite his best efforts, Hazleton's stability was still slipping away. Lou knew he had to do more.

Lou ran for mayor on a platform of bringing business sense into city government – and he won by a 2-1 margin.

When Lou took office in January 2000, Hazleton was in worse shape than anyone realized, with a large deficit and budget shortfall. Hazleton had illegal contracts with all four of its unions. There was a general lack of communication and accountability at virtually every level of the city's government. Layoffs seemed like the only option.

Demonstrating the leadership and courage that has marked his entire life, Lou went right to work. He and MaryGrace sold Interstate Road Marking (by that time, the nation's sixth-largest company of its type) so he could focus his full attention on fixing the city's problems.

Within the first few months of 2000, Hazleton was in the middle of a complete turnaround.

Through prudent fiscal management and tough choices, the entire budget shortfall was erased. All four contracts were re-negotiated. Hazleton earned the Governor's Award for Fiscal Accountability and Best Management Practices.

Hazleton's turnaround became one of the best municipal success stories in the entire state of Pennsylvania.

When an influx of illegal immigration threatened the financial foundation of the city and brought gang violence, drugs and crime to peaceful neighborhoods, Lou never hesitated or waivered. Lou stood up, passed one of the toughest illegal immigration ordinances in the country, and again brought his city back from the brink.

In July 2008, Lou was unanimously voted Mayor of the Year by his peers in the Pennsylvania State Mayors Association.

Lou Barletta is a leader with a proven record and the courage to stand up for a better northeastern Pennsylvania and United States of America.