New Hope Mourns Death of Longtime Council Member Andy Hoffe
Andy Hoffe, who spent 20 years on the New Hope City Council, passed away on May 30. He was 89 years old.
Officials with Robbinsdale Area Schools say Hoffe began working in the district as a social studies teacher at Robbinsdale High School (now Robbinsdale Middle School) in 1962. He moved to Cooper High School in 1984, and was there until his retirement in 2002.
Hoffe then entered the world of New Hope city government in 2004 after retiring from a 41-year teaching career.
“My goal is to bring in more business, especially businesses with good jobs,” Hoffe said after being elected in 2004.
Voters in New Hope sent him back to office five more times.
Andy Hoffe, at his most recent city council swearing-in ceremony in January 2025.
“He was so involved in everything in the community, he’s lived here forever,” said former New Hope Mayor Kathi Hemken. “He just wanted to be part of that.”
Hemken served alongside Andy Hoffe for 14 years. She says he always remained a teacher at heart.
“He sat right next to me at the council table and would very often pass me little notes and remind me that I forgot to do something, or maybe you want to talk about this,” Hemken said. “So he was constantly trying to be the teacher and I was receptive to all the teaching he could give me.”
During Hoffe’s two decades in office, the city’s current mayor, John Elder, says he was a passionate but soft-spoken leader.
“People loved Andy. I mean they really did,” said Elder. “He said his piece. He said why he felt the way he felt, and even if it was in conflict with what other people felt, you still felt respected by that.”
Grandstanding was never in his blood, but politics was a family affair.
His wife, Juanita, was the longtime host of Northwest City Politics on CCX until her death in 2023. Hoffe didn’t appear on the show, but he was there running the camera.
“And so between takes, he would come to me and say ‘well you might want to talk about the new pool, or you might want to bring up something else,” Hemken recalled about her time as a guest on the show. “So he was always doing that.”
Hoffe was a teacher and a public servant until the very end. Elder says he will always be remembered for his kindness.
“The mark that he left on this city will continue on for years,” Elder said.
Hoffe would have turned 90 on June 4.
The New Hope City Council will likely appoint his replacement in July.
