Four months after being diagnosed with lung cancer, Lancaster Mayor John Howard died Tuesday night at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He was 67. City administrator Flip Hutfles notified The Lancaster News of Howard’s death just before midnight after receiving word from Howard’s wife, Karon. A public servant for 35 years, Howard was longest serving elected official in Lancaster County. Howard served on city council for 33 years before voters chose him as mayor in early 2016 to fill the unexpired term of the late Joe Shaw.