John A. Linder is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the

Chester City Council Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

from 2010 to 2012 and Mayor of

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...

from 2012 to 2016.

Education and professional career

Linder received his BA in Behavioral Sciences from

Widener University Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg and Exton) and one in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the school ...

, and

M.Ed. 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

Kutztown University Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (Kutztown University or KU) is a public university in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher ...

. 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 Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

Campus of

Northern Virginia Community College Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC; informally known as NOVA) is a public community college composed of six campuses and four centers in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Northern Virginia Community College is the third-la ...

, 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 Delaware County Community College (DCCC) is a public community college with campuses and facilities throughout Delaware and Chester Counties in Pennsylvania. DCCC was founded in 1967 and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher ...

Political career

2008 Pennsylvania Senate campaign

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, Linder challenged incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Dominic Pileggi Dominic F. Pileggi (born December 15, 1957) is an American politician and judge from Pennsylvania who served as Republican mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania from 1999 to 2002 and as a member of the Pennsylvania 9th Senatorial district from 2002 unt ...

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 Jr. Wendell Butler Jr. (born 1943/1944) is a former American politician who served as a Republican mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania, from 2002 to 2012. Biography Butler was born and raised in Chester, where he lived in a federal housing project and a ...

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 Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard (born June 15, 1950) is an American politician who served as mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania from 1992 to 1995. Bohannan-Sheppard was the first Democrat to be elected mayor of Chester in almost a century and the second fe ...

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 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 The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Urb ...

. Butler lost his bid for re-election to

Thaddeus Kirkland Thaddeus Kirkland (born January 12, 1955) is an American politician who is the Mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania since 2016. A Democrat, he served as a member of the 159th district from 1993 to 2016. Early life and education Born in Chester, Kirk ...

in the 2015 Democratic primary.

External links

Mayor John Linder
official government website , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linder, John 1947 births 21st-century American politicians African-American city council members in Pennsylvania African-American mayors in Pennsylvania Kutztown University of Pennsylvania alumni Living people Mayors of Chester, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania city council members Pennsylvania Democrats Widener University alumni 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people