Armenti entered politics as a city councilman for the North Ward in 1962. His successor, W. Oliver “Bucky” Leggett, recalled Armenti as "the champion of the working class” at the time. He was defeated by Holland in 1970. In 1981, Armenti ran for the
New Jersey State Senate to succeed
Joseph Merlino, who retired to run for Governor of New Jersey. He was defeated by
Gerald Stockman.
1990 election After Holland's death in 1989, Armenti became acting mayor. He ran in the election for a full term but was defeated by
Mercer County Freeholder Douglas Palmer. Though he was by then a long-time Republican, the election was non-partisan and Armenti's campaign made no mention of his affiliation. In the primary, Palmer narrowly led Armenti, 9,067 votes to 8,787. Armenti received as much as 75 percent of the vote in the city's Italian and Polish neighborhoods. The third-place finisher, police detective Pedro Medina received 3,537 votes and endorsed Armenti in the run-off. A fourth candidate, former lottery director Barbara Marrow-Mooring, received 461 votes. During the run-off, Trenton native and
Mayor of New York City David Dinkins campaigned for Palmer. After his defeat, which largely broke down along racial lines, Armenti walked mayor-elect Palmer through the streets of
Chambersburg in a gesture of goodwill and unity. Palmer later called Armenti's act "heroic" and said, "The city was certainly at a crossroads, and I think what Carmen did in
the ‘Burg helped our city in its effort to move forward." ==Personal life==