Stickle to retire after 26 years
In the past 26 years, 16 South Strabane residents have served as supervisors, but only one served as manager.
John Stickle, who started in 1990, announced Tuesday he will retire at the end of the year.
“It’s been a pleasure and an honor,” he said.
The landscape of the 23-square-mile municipality has changed significantly since Stickle took over duties of secretary, treasurer and zoning officer. Sprawling farms along Route 19 were replaced by retail centers and businesses.
“The Route 19 corridor is a blessing, but it has brought in more traffic. And (natural gas) drilling is one of the biggest things we’re dealing with,” he said. “But the job’s always been just trying to provide services to residents at a reasonable cost. That’s been a constant since I started. You want to provide good police protection, good roads and good fire protection.”
Stickle, whose duties include the day-to-day operations of carrying out policies, keeping records, handling correspondence and resident concerns and depositing funds, also works as the zoning officer.
He thanked township staff for their support.
“It’s not a one-man job. It’s a lot of people doing a lot of different things every day,” he said. “The staff – they make me look good.”
Police Chief Donald Zofchak, who has been with the township for 43 years, commended Stickle’s calm demeanor.
“I look at him like a steadying force. You’re dealing with a bunch of different personalities on the board. We’ve gone through many different members … with different philosophies. There were times I would get frustrated, and he kept things calm,” Zofchak said. “I don’t know how he did it sometimes. We would voice frustrations, and he had a way of steadying the ship.”
On Tuesday, supervisors approved an agreement with consultant Deborah Grass to begin the process of finding Stickle’s replacement.
“I think he served our township very, very well,” said Chairman Jack Keisling.
Stickle, who plans to travel with his wife, Jocelyn, said he will miss daily interactions with coworkers and residents.
“It’s just been a great job. I can only say good things about the job, the community and the people I’ve worked with,” Stickle said. “There’s always more to do, there’s always room to improve. But I think we have a very nice community. I’m proud of South Strabane.”