Bethlehem Township Manager Edward Hozza Jr. Resigns After Four Months; Doug Bruce Steps Back Into the Job

Sept. 21, 2026

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

Edward Hozza Jr. has resigned as manager of Bethlehem Township and predecessor Doug Bruce is back.

The township Board of Supervisors accepted Hozza’s resignation Monday and then voted in favor of Bruce’s return.

No reason was given Monday for Hozza’s departure. He started in May.

Before working at the township, Hozza was a director of administration for Lehigh County and he was mayor of Whitehall Township for 10 years, according to his LinkedIn page.

Bruce served as township manager from 2018 through earlier this year before retiring. That retirement lasted four months.

Before that, he was assistant manager. Earlier in his career, he worked for Moravian University (then Moravian College), the City of Bethlehem, and he was a reporter for the former Globe-Times newspaper. He is a U.S. Navy veteran who served as a petty officer in the Iraq War.