Preceded by Wendell Butler, Jr. Residence Chester, Pennsylvania Political party Democratic | Succeeded by William Jacobs Preceded by Willie Wells Name John Linder | |
Alma mater Widener University
Kutztown University | ||
Mayor john linder mayor of chester pennsylvania
John A. Linder is an American politician and retired college professor who is the Mayor of the city of Chester, Pennsylvania.
Contents
- Mayor john linder mayor of chester pennsylvania
- The official mayoral debate john linder vs wendell butler
- Education and professional career
- 2008 Senate campaign
- Chester City Council
- Mayor of Chester
- References
The official mayoral debate john linder vs wendell butler
Education and professional career
Linder received his BA in Behavioral Sciences from Widener University, and M.Ed. from Kutztown University.
Linder worked as an instructor and counsellor at Kutztown University from 1976 to 1980. From 1980 to 1989, Linder served as Assistant Director of the Human Services Program at the Alexandria Campus of Northern Virginia Community College, while concurrently holding the rank of Assistant Professor in Human services at the college. He has been a Master Trainer and an Associate of the Carkhuff Institute of Human Technology, specializing in Interpersonal Skills Training for teachers, counselors and other human services personnel. Linder also served as a professor of political science at Delaware County Community College.
2008 Senate campaign
In 2008, Linder challenged incumbent Republican State Senator Dominic Pileggi for his seat. Pileggi, who was seeking his second full term in the Senate, was also the body's Majority Leader. On election day, Pileggi defeated Linder by about sixteen percentage points, or 22,000 votes.
Chester City Council
On November 3, 2009, Linder was elected to an at-large seat on the Chester City Council on a ticket with Portia West. West and Linder defeated Republican Fred Pickett and Marsha Taylor, with Democrats gaining two formerly Republican seats. Linder was the top vote-getter in the race.
Mayor of Chester
In the 2011 Chester Mayoral election, Linder defeated longtime incumbent Republican Mayor Wendell Butler in a hotly contested race. With his election, Linder became just the second Democrat to hold the office since 1905, and the first since Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard left office in 1995. His election was part of a broader sea change in city politics, with Democrats ending Republican dominance over Chester government.
Following his swearing-in, Linder announced his retirement from his teaching position, a move allowing him to focus on his duties as Mayor full-time. He was also appointed Director of the City Department of Public Affairs, which oversees Chester's police department. In March of 2012, Linder was appointed to the White House's Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) initiative, under the purview of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.