Gerald J. LaValle (January 25, 1932 – September 12, 2018) was an American politician who was a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

Biography

A native of

Beaver County, Pennsylvania Beaver County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,215. Its county seat is Beaver. The county was created on March 12, 1800, from parts of Allegheny and Washington counties. It took ...

, he earned a degree from

Geneva College Geneva College is a private Christian college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional undergra ...

in 1956 and a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

from Westminster College in

New Wilmington, Pennsylvania New Wilmington is a borough in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, first platted in 1824 and established as a borough on April 9, 1863. The population was 2,097 at the 2020 census. It is home to Westminster College and serves the Old O ...

, in 1971. He worked as a teacher, guidance counselor, and athletic coach at Midland High School and Rochester Area High School from 1959 to 1984. He served in the borough government of

Rochester, Pennsylvania Rochester is a borough in central Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located northwest of Pittsburgh, it is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 3,480 at the 2020 census. Like many places around Pittsburgh, ...

, as councilman from 1973 to 1976 and mayor from 1976 to 1988. He then served as County Commissioner of Beaver County. He was elected to represent the 47th senatorial district in the

Pennsylvania Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

in a 1990 special election. Within the Democratic caucus, he was elected Minority Caucus Secretary in 2005 and Minority Appropriations Committee Chairman on February 6, 2007. In 2007 and 2008, LaValle was investigated by the

Pennsylvania Attorney General The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1980. The current Attorney General is Democrat Josh Shapiro. On August 15, 2016, then-Attorney General Kath ...

for his connections to two separate Beaver County non-profit organizations. The Beaver Initiative for Growth, an $11 million

community development The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad concept, applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists ...

nonprofit founded by LaValle and State Representative

Mike Veon Michael R. Veon (born January 19, 1957) is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 14th District from 1985 through 2006. Personal life Veon is a 1975 graduate of Beaver Falls High School. Veon attended Al ...

, was implicated for loose financial management. The second, the Voluntary Action Center, was a small nonprofit call center partially funded by the Beaver Initiative for Growth and operated by LaValle's wife, Darla LaValle. Investigations into the Voluntary Action Center began when Darla LaValle repaid the organization about $50,000 in "unauthorized compensation." On August 18, 2008,

Tom Corbett Thomas Wingett Corbett Jr. (born June 17, 1949) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 46th governor of Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 1995 ...

charged LaValle's wife, Darla LaValle, with stealing thousands of dollars, inflating her salary, and denying employees pension benefits while serving as executive director of the Voluntary Action Center. He retired following the 2008 Pennsylvania Senate elections.

Death

LaValle died on September 12, 2018, at the age of 86.

References

External links

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Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

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Campaign contributions (at Follow the Money) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lavalle, Gerald 1932 births 2018 deaths Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators 20th-century mayors of places in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania city council members People from Rochester, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania Geneva College alumni Westminster College (Pennsylvania) alumni United States Marine Corps officers Educators from Pennsylvania Beaver County Commissioners (Pennsylvania)