John Stoffa was an American politician who served as

County Executive A county executive, county manager or county mayor is the head of the executive branch of government in a United States county. The executive may be an elected or an appointed position. When elected, the executive typically functions either as a ...

Northampton County, Pennsylvania Northampton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,951. Its county seat is Easton. The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was Northamptonshire, En ...

from 2006 to 2014. He was elected to the office at the age of 65 as a

conservative Democrat In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with conservative political views, or with views that are conservative compared to the positions taken by other members of the Democratic Party. Traditionally, co ...

Early life

Stoffa graduated from the

Nesquehoning High School Nesquehoning High School is an historic, American high school that is located in Nesquehoning, Carbon County, Pennsylvania. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. History and architectural features Built between 1917 a ...

and

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

before earning a master's degree at

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 ...

. Stoffa served three years of active duty in the U.S. Army and two years in the reserves. Stoffa achieved the rank of

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

as a tank commander. Stoffa was also active in the Lehigh Valley band scene, being an avid trumpeter, frequently organizing concerts throughout his life and supporting local marching bands.

Political career

Stoffa spent several decades in the human services field. He first served as director of human services in Lehigh County and later was appointed to the same position in neighboring Northampton County. Prior to his election to county executive, Stoffa's only experience in political office was a single term on the Northampton Area School Board. In 2001, he was defeated in a race for a seat on the Northampton county council, but four years later won a primary battle for Northampton county executive, defeating incumbent fellow Democrat Glenn Reibman by a margin of 52-47. Stoffa went on to win the general election. During his tenure as head of the county's government, Stoffa worked closely with

Don Cunningham Donald Cunningham Jr. (born December 13, 1965) is an American politician who is president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC). He previously served as County executive, executive of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, se ...

, his counterpart in Lehigh County, on issues affecting the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

as a whole. One of Stoffa's key issues was the preservation of farmland, at one point promising to raise taxes to do so. Despite this, he won re-election in 2009. Stoffa decided not to seek a third term and retired in 2014.

Legacy

Stoffa was known for his bi-partisanship as well as his desire to help the citizens of Northampton County. He is also remembered for his support of Green spaces throughout the county. McClure stated that Stoffa's role in bridging partisan disputes helped the council pass legislation and ordinances aimed at improving the lives of Lehigh Valley residents, including expanding the county's Human Services department. During his lifetime, Stoffa served on the boards of over 40 nonprofit organizations in the Lehigh Valley including

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

, New Bethany, Cities in Schools, Keenan House drug treatment center, Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, Turning Point, and Downtown Allentown

Kiwanis Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizatio ...

Club.

Death

Stoffa lived on a farm in Allen township with his wife Barbara. They had two sons. Stoffa died on May 2, 2022, at the Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg hospital at the age of 82. Following his death, sitting Northampton county executive, Lamont McClure, ordered flags to be flown at half mast for mourning.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoffa, John Pennsylvania State University alumni Kutztown University of Pennsylvania alumni 1939 births 2022 deaths Pennsylvania Democrats Politicians from Northampton County, Pennsylvania School board members in Pennsylvania 21st-century American politicians