John Linder (Pennsylvania politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Linder
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| Mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania | |
| In office January 3, 2012 – 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Wendell Butler Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Thaddeus Kirkland |
| Member of the Chester City Council from the at-large district |
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| In office January 4, 2010 – January 3, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Willie Wells |
| Succeeded by | William Jacobs |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1947 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Alma mater | Widener University Kutztown University |
| Occupation | Politician, Professor |
| Website | Mayor John Linder |
John A. Linder is an American politician. He was a member of the Chester City Council. He served from 2010 to 2012. Later, he became the Mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania. He was Mayor from 2012 to 2016. He belongs to the Democratic Party.
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John Linder's Education and Early Career
John Linder studied at two universities. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Widener University. This degree was in Behavioral Sciences. He also received a Master of Education degree from Kutztown University.
Linder worked as a teacher and counselor. He taught at Kutztown University from 1976 to 1980. From 1980 to 1989, he worked at Northern Virginia Community College. There, he was an assistant director. He also taught Human Services as an assistant professor. Linder was a special trainer in Interpersonal Skills. He helped teachers and counselors learn these skills. He also taught political science at Delaware County Community College.
John Linder's Political Journey
Running for Pennsylvania State Senate
In 2008, John Linder ran for a seat in the Pennsylvania Senate. He challenged the person already holding the seat, Dominic Pileggi. Mr. Pileggi was a Republican. He was also the leader of the Senate at that time.
On election day, Mr. Pileggi won the election. He defeated Linder by about 22,000 votes.
Serving on the Chester City Council
On November 3, 2009, Linder was elected to the Chester City Council. He ran with another candidate, Portia West. They won against two Republican candidates. This win helped the Democratic Party gain two seats. These seats were previously held by Republicans. Linder received the most votes in that election.
Becoming Mayor of Chester
In 2011, John Linder ran for Mayor of Chester. He won against the mayor at that time, Wendell Butler Jr.. Mr. Butler had been mayor for a long time.
When Linder became Mayor, he was only the second Democrat to hold the job since 1905. The last Democratic mayor was Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard, who left office in 1995. Linder's election was a big change for Chester. It ended the long period when Republicans mostly controlled the city government.
After becoming Mayor, Linder stopped teaching. This allowed him to focus completely on his duties as Mayor. He also became the Director of Public Affairs for the city. This role meant he oversaw Chester's police department. In March 2012, Linder joined a special program. It was called the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) initiative. This program was part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In 2015, Mayor Butler ran for re-election again. However, he lost in the Democratic primary election to Thaddeus Kirkland.
More Information
- List of mayors of Chester, Pennsylvania
