He subsequently enrolled in the Echols College of Mortuary Science, and in 1959 he assumed control of his father Calvin E. Lightner's funeral home.

During his council tenure he chaired a committee tasked with studying mass transit and for one term acted as Mayor pro tempore.

Backed by a coalition of blacks—who comprised less than 16% of all registered voters—and white suburban residents who were growing increasingly concerned about urban sprawl, Lightner won the November election, surprising observers and garnering national media attention.

[1] In 1942 he enlisted in the United States Army, serving for a total of four years,[4] including a tour of duty during World War II.

[11] Lightner was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,[12] and the Democratic Party, and held moderate political views.

[13] He was a member of the "Oval Table Gang", an informal group of community leaders that met in Ralph Campbell Sr.'s home to discuss strategies to desegregate Raleigh schools, plan demonstrations, and assist black candidates for public office.

[18] He supported a proposal by community activists to change the election method of city council seats from an at-large model to a district system; it was later implemented after a referendum.

[20] They felt that municipal offices were being too heavily influenced by business interests at a time when Raleigh's population was rapidly growing and various development projects were being proposed.

In the election Lightner faced G. Wesley Williams, the executive director of the Raleigh Merchants Bureau who was popular among local businessmen.

[22] His support came from a coalition of blacks—who comprised less than 16% of all registered voters—and white suburban residents who were growing increasingly concerned about urban sprawl.

[1] He also actively participated in the National League of Cities—including service on its steering committee[12]—and made personal connections with members of the federal administration and other black mayors.

"[26] That year he also supported the creation of 18 neighborhood "Citizen Advisory Councils", which were meant to facilitate resident input on housing, transportation, and governmental accountability in the city.

Lightner hoped that instituting the councils would also make it easier for Raleigh to earn block grants from the federal government, but this did not occur.

Investigators found she had a notebook with the names and clothing sizes of several North Carolinians, including Clarence and Marguerite Lightner.

[31] On November 26, 1974, Marguerite Lightner was arrested for conspiracy to receive stolen goods;[30] prosecutors announced they had no intentions of charging the mayor.

[30] Announcing his bid for reelection the following month, Lightner appealed to the electorate to ignore his relatives' problems and evaluate his performance as mayor.

[33] Scrutiny was brought against him personally for urging the city to purchase a pool from his former campaign manager, and for his backing of a planning commissioner that had run afoul of local activists for maintaining close ties with real estate developers.

[36] Governor Jim Hunt, at the advice of the executive committee of the Democratic Party of the 14th district, appointed Lightner to fill the vacancy on August 3.

[43] After Lightner pointed out the state of limited economic growth in southeast Raleigh, the city assembled a team under Mayor Avery C. Upchurch to promote commercial development in the area.

In 2010 over 250 people, led by a police detective, lobbied in an attempt to have the center named after a public safety worker instead of "a politician".

[62] In 2010 the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released several files pertaining to Jesse Helms, a conservative Republican politician who had served as a United States senator.

According to the files, in 1978 the FBI was given a letter from an anonymous source which indicated that Lightner was given $10,000 to bribe black voters on behalf of Helms to not participate in that year's elections.

Bruce Lightner called the allegation "ridiculous" and said, "My Daddy, like most African Americans, did not like or agree with anything Jesse Helms stood for.