When Bangor Council tapped John Kasten to be borough manager in 2008, members said they'd found a good-natured, thick-skinned man with a solid financial sense to lead the community of 5,000-plus.

They got that and then some, Councilman David Houser said."I think he reined in our budgetary problems and put us on good, solid footing," Houser said. "He was kind of the glue that held everything together in the borough."Houser said Kasten's death Thursday will leave a significant void in the borough. Kasten, 63, died at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, apparently after suffering a heart attack."It's a tough time for everybody," Houser said. "There's going to be a rough patch here for us. It's a huge hole in the middle of things."Kasten, who lived in Palmerton, had a long history of public service, having worked as manager for three municipalities over his career.Before becoming Bangor's manager, he served as manager, secretary and treasurer of Slatington for nearly eight years. He previously worked as the manager, secretary and treasurer for Palmerton, from 1981-89, according to his obituary.He also worked in the private sector, having served as business development manager, director of sales and resource development manager for Grand Central Sanitation.Pen Argyl Borough Manager Robin Zmoda saw first-hand Kasten's dedication to Bangor."He was very generous in sharing what he had learned in his many years of management in various communities and business endeavors," Zmoda said. "I will miss his sense of humor and calmness in the sometime chaotic world of local government."Zmoda recalled how Kasten would call her "out of the blue," pretending to be a Pen Argyl resident with concerns or complaints before revealing himself. She and Kasten kept in close contact to discuss ways the boroughs could work together."If we were working on a particular project together, I could depend on John to know at least one person in whatever agency we needed to touch base on," she said. "He always knew someone, somewhere. It was amazing to me."Houser said it was too early Saturday to say how Kasten will be replaced. Council has not met since his death and doesn't meet formally until Jan. 6.Houser expects that the board will start searching for a new manager shortly. Zmoda has offered to help the borough if needed."I don't think we'd really be able to keep going without [a manager]," Houser said. "Hopefully, there's enough resources out there to help us find another person who can keep track of things."Kasten, who graduated from Whitehall High School and had a degree in physics from Moravian College, was active in a number of organizations, having served as past president of Palmerton Library's board of directors and as a member of the Bangor Business Association.He also was a member of the Slate Belt Council of Governments, the leadership committee of the Main Street Coalition and St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Northampton.Kasten is survived by his wife, Karin, with whom he would have celebrated his 41st wedding anniversary Jan. 7.A memorial service is planned for 7 p.m. Monday at the Reichel Funeral Home, 326 E. 21st St., Northampton.Distributed by MCT Information Services