DV Journal

UPDATE: Former Chester Police Commissioner Steven Gretsky is being charged in connection with a late night hit-and-run accident. Pennsylvania State Police say Gretsky was driving a police SUV that crashed into a parked vehicle on E. 22nd and Hyatt streets late Sunday, then took off.

Gretsky is accused of reckless driving, careless driving, and other traffic-related charges.

Chester officials put Gretsky on leave pending an investigation into the collision. He resigned Tuesday.

Original story below:

The police commissioner for the City of Chester retired suddenly Tuesday after being involved in an accident in his police vehicle in the early morning on Monday.

The Office of the Receiver released this statement:  “The City of Chester placed Police Commissioner Steven Gretsky on administrative leave on Monday, Jan. 27, pending an investigation into a traffic incident on the night of Sunday, Jan. 26. Major Katrina Blackwell will serve as acting commissioner, while the investigation continues.”

Published reports say Gretsky’s vehicle hit a parked delivery van near East 22nd Street and Hyatt Street in Chester shortly after midnight Monday.

The Pennsylvania State Police are handling the investigation into the accident. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Mayor Stefan Roots referred questions about the incident to a public relations firm, which released this statement: “Chester Police Commissioner Steven Gretsky informed Mayor Stefan Roots that he will retire, effective end of day on Tuesday, Jan. 28. The city thanks Commissioner Gretsky for his service to the residents of Chester. Major Katrina Blackwell will serve as interim commissioner, while a search is conducted.”

Gretsky was promoted from deputy police commissioner to commissioner in October 2020 by former Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland, according to a city press release. Gretsky is a Chester native who started with the police department in 2003. He served in the patrol division for 12 years before becoming patrol sergeant in 2015, followed by promotion to major. He was appointed deputy commissioner in January 2020.

In April 2023, tragedy struck on the train tracks in Chester.

Two children, ages 9 and 12, were playing on the tracks when they were killed by an Amtrak train heading south to Washington, D.C.

The families of the deceased children, Ah’Yir Womack and Jahaad Atkinson, then filed suit against Amtrak, saying it was responsible for not maintaining a fence. Lawyer Emeka Igwe said the lawsuit is ongoing.

On Monday, the City of Chester announced it would receive part of $125 million in grants nationwide from the Federal Railroad Administration after Amtrak selected it.

Amtrak will allocate up to $7.7 million of funds from the FRA’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program to Chester, which will go toward installing high-security steel fencing along a segment of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) running through the city. With the new fencing, the city hopes to reduce unauthorized access along the NEC and increase safety for those using the transit system.

Chester’s high-security fence project is one of six projects from around the country selected for Amtrak’s grants provided by the FRA.

“The City of Chester is grateful to Amtrak and the FRA for this grant because it is one more step in making our city even safer and more secure for all traveling to and from here,” said Mayor Stefan Roots. “The funding arrives at a pivotal time, as we are working on reestablishing Chester as a top destination and place to live in the region and country. We can’t get there without the help of our partners like Amtrak.”

About the grant for the fence, Igwe said, “We’re happy. This is something we asked Amtrak to do to prevent another tragedy.”

Chester is under the financial control of a state receiver, Michael Doweary. He is tasked with helping the city regain its footing after years of mismanagement left its coffers nearly bare. While previous officials fought with Doweary, Roots is cooperating to set Chester on the path to prosperity.

As the receivership team is implementing a financial recovery plan to bring it out of bankruptcy, Roots and city leaders are spearheading efforts to beautify its neighborhoods and downtown area with the help of local, state and federal funding. They hope to develop affordable housing, improve infrastructure, and attract businesses and investors.

The Amtrak project is also the latest of several public safety measures implemented to make Chester a safer place to live, work and play, officials said. Last summer, the city launched its first Safe Summer initiative, which included a curfew for residents 17 and younger. It also expanded staffing and patrol hours for the Chester Police Department to provide round-the-clock street supervision.

“Strong public and private partnerships are key to Chester’s revitalization. Capital investments such as Amtrak’s make it possible,” said Roots.

(From a press release.)

The City of Chester and the Chester Economic Development Authority were awarded a combined $500,000 in Local Share Account (LSA) grants from Pennsylvania’s Department of Community & Economic Development (PDCED).

Sen. John I. Kane (D-Delaware) and Rep. Carol Kazeem (D-Chester), whose districts include Chester helped usher these LSA grants for approval.

The grants include $250,000 to help with the eventual construction of a new police headquarters. The existing headquarters, built in the 1980s, suffers from multiple structural issues, including water leaks. A timetable for the construction of a new facility has not been established.

The $250,000 grant for ACCESS will start Phase II of its project, which will focus on building a gymnasium at the existing community center, which provides crucial social services to the city of Chester. The project will also include the installation of basketball and volleyball fixtures, exterior landscaping, fencing, and other requirements for the complete buildout and stabilization of the gymnasium.

“On behalf of the residents of Chester, I want to thank Sen. Kane and Rep. Kazeem for their work in getting these grants approved,” said Chester Mayor Stefan Roots. “Both Sen. Kane and Rep. Kazeem are stalwart advocates for our city and are committed to improving the lives of their constituents here.”

“Bringing state dollars back to Chester isn’t just about flashy headlines—it’s about creating real change in our community,” said Kane. “These grants are about keeping our streets safe and giving our kids a place to grow. Chester needs this boost, and I’m always fighting tooth and nail for every dollar we can get. Chester’s well-being is always my top priority, because when Chester thrives, we all do better.”

“I am proud to represent Chester,” said Kazeem. “And I will continue to fight to be Chester’s champion.”

For more information on the city’s financial recovery plan, visit.

As chairperson of the Chester Water Authority (CWA) and a concerned ratepayer, I must sound the alarm about the recent Federal Bankruptcy court filing of a Plan of Adjustment by Chester’s Receiver, Michael Doweary. This plan, which purports to start a process to “monetize” our water assets by dissolving the CWA, is not only detrimental to our 40,000+ ratepayers and the businesses that depend on our water for their vital operations; it’s an existential threat to a critical and cherished public institution that has served our community for generations.

For over eight decades, CWA has been a model of efficiency and public service, providing high-quality, affordable water to more than 200,000 people across 37 municipalities in Delaware and Chester counties. Our success is no accident – it’s the result of dedicated employees, competent leadership, and an unwavering commitment to public service over profit. When asked about our low rates, the answer is simple: we charge only what it costs to produce our award-winning water and nothing more.

Today, CWA stands on the brink of destruction with our ratepayers becoming part of the collateral damage. The Receiver’s plan could lead to water bills rapidly doubling or tripling, effectively imposing a massive water tax on residents and businesses across Chester and Delaware County. This is not just unfair; it’s an unconscionable burden on our community.  It will also deprive present and future generations of southeast Pennsylvanians of quality water that is both clean and affordable.

Let’s be unequivocal: CWA bears no responsibility for Chester’s long standing financial distress, which has persisted for nearly three decades. Our finances are separate, sound, and our pension plan is fully funded – a stark contrast to the city’s fiscal woes. It’s unjust to force our ratepayers, most of whom reside outside Chester, to shoulder the burden of the city’s fiscal issues occurring while under state supervision for almost 30 years. It’s also unfair and unjust to put the current and future welfare of our employees at significant mismanagement risk. Why entrust a well-managed, award-winning water utility, critical to our region’s infrastructure, to a Receiver whose four-year tenure has failed to resolve Chester’s fiscal crisis and still has no workable plan to do so? His move risks compromising a vital public service that has consistently delivered quality water to hundreds of thousands of residents across the region that CWA serves.

There is no legal foundation for the Receiver’s hostile takeover plan of CWA. In 1939, CWA was established as an independent entity, and our assets do not belong to Chester.  Indeed even the Commonwealth, through its DCED, confirmed that CWA’s system is owned by the CWA.  The attempt to dissolve CWA and its board is a clear overreach that we will fight vigorously on behalf of our ratepayers and employees.

Furthermore, the claim that maintaining “public ownership” of the water system provides sufficient protection is dangerously misleading. CWA’s success stems from public operation, not just ownership. Outsourcing operations, even under the guise of public ownership, will inevitably introduce profit motives that will compromise service quality, sustainability and affordability.

CWA ratepayers are grateful for the steadfast support from State Representatives Christina Sappey, John Lawrence, Leanne Krueger, Carol Kazeem, and State Senator John Kane, along with Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz and Josh Maxwell. However, our ratepayers are now urging the state leadership to take action. They are calling on Governor Shapiro and other elected officials in our service area, who have remained silent regarding the Receiver’s actions, to step forward and play a significant role in preserving CWA while also aiding the City of Chester. It’s essential for our ratepayers to understand where all their representatives and elected officials stand on this critical issue, which will affect their financial well-being and quality of life for generations to come.

Although we understand Chester’s financial challenges, exploiting CWA ratepayers as a revenue source is unacceptable and will cause long-term economic damage across the region. We strongly urge the Receiver to abandon this misguided proposal and instead engage in substantive discussions with state officials and other stakeholders to develop a solution that preserves our essential water services without imposing unjust costs on those outside the City’s jurisdiction. Raising water rates dramatically would disproportionately burden low-income and fixed-income residents, many of whom are already struggling financially.

CWA is more than infrastructure; it’s a public trust, a source of local pride, and a beacon of efficient and sustainable public service. We’ve safeguarded clean, affordable water for decades, and we intend to continue this legacy. Our community deserves nothing less, and our ratepayers are making their voices heard loud and clear.

The fight for CWA is a fight for the public good. We stand ready to defend this essential resource against those who would exploit it for short-term gain at the expense of our community’s long-term well-being.

Please follow DVJournal on social media: X@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

.

Turn on the TV news at 11 p.m., and there’s a never-ending parade of shootings, carjackings, and other violent criminal incidents.

In recent years, police have been under attack, be it from Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, who advocated defunding the police, or progressive Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who has a reputation for prosecuting officers while being lenient toward offenders.

Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick was recently endorsed by the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, Pennsylvania State Troopers Association and 48 county sheriffs. Previously, the PA FOP had endorsed Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr., McCormick’s opponent.

“Dave’s committed to making sure we have the resources we need to fulfill our mission of protecting millions of Pennsylvania families,” said Pennsylvania State Troopers Association President Stephen Polishan.

It can be challenging for municipalities to hire enough police officers to fill vacancies.

Stefan Roots, the City of Chester mayor, told DVJ that Chester police are now on 12-hour shifts.

“We’re way below what we’re budgeted to hire,” said Roots, a Democrat who took office in January. The department has about 70 members, but he did not want to disclose the shortfall.

“What the 12-hour shifts do is take the amount of cops that we have and instead of dividing them by three throughout the day, we divide them by two. So, we automatically have more officers available on the streets.”

“Like every police department in America, the two Rs are recruitment and retention.”

The state police and, through District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, Delaware County Park Police are also filling in at City Hall, he said.

“So, we have more officers consistently on the streets than we’ve had in a long time,” said Roots. “And that’s the key.”

While crime has been creeping up, it’s lower than the historically high numbers of five and 10 years ago, he said.

In 2023, there were 13 homicides in Chester, 11 sexual assaults and 76 robberies. In the first six months of 2024, the city saw three homicides, four sexual assaults, and 11 robberies. Chester has about 33,000 residents. After years of financial difficulties, it’s currently under state receivership.

“It does help, the presence of law enforcement in the neighborhood,” said Roots. “It makes the bad guys think twice.”

Former Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan said, “The 12-hour shifts are sold as a way to save money, and they are popular with police. The problem is that it encourages the police to start pursuing other jobs. They are only working five or six days every two weeks as police officers, leaving a lot of free time. Instead of a police officer who is focused on policing all of the time, you end up with a real estate broker who is a police officer on the side.”

Mike Chitwood, former Upper Darby police superintendent, believes 12-hour police shifts will help “with more time on the streets.”

But he warns officers will burn out.

“Eventually, it’ll get tiring. Obviously, they don’t have the manpower. It’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said Chitwood.

He’s also concerned about officers from other agencies policing the town.

“There’s no way you’re going to get the same policing as from your own officers,” said Chitwood.

Roots is coupling his police shift change with an emphasis on enforcing a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew already on the books for youth under 18. He’s also highlighting the many activities available for young people through the Safe Summer Initiative.

Chitwood said enforcing the curfew should help.

Hogan said, “The community-based programs, like for juveniles, are only effective if they are paired up with vigorous enforcement tools. If the police do hot spot policing and target the most violent offenders, a juvenile program might add some marginal benefit. On its own, the program will not be effective.”

According to the state police, Delaware County had 32 murder/manslaughter cases in 2023 and 26 in 2024; there were 39 rapes in 2023 and 33 in 2024; and 393 robberies in 2023 with 113 so far in 2024.

In neighboring Chester County, there have been six murder/manslaughter cases in 2024 and five in 2025. Chester County saw 35 rapes so far this year and 67 last year. It reported 27 robberies in 2024 and 66 in 2023.

Bucks County had six murder/manslaughter cases in 2024 and eight in 2023. It reported 35 rapes this year and 72 last year. Bucks had 52 robberies in 2024 and 111 in 2023.

There have been eight murder/manslaughter cases in Montgomery County in 2024 and 22 in 2023. Montgomery County reported 50 rapes in 2024 and 104 in 2023. It listed 129 robberies in 2024 and 278 robberies in 2023.

McCormick promises to support law enforcement and be tough on crime.

“Joe Biden and Bob Casey’s soft-on-crime agenda has failed them and made our commonwealth more dangerous. It’s time our men and women in blue had a leader in Washington who will fight tirelessly to get them the support they deserve,” said McCormick. Casey, a Democrat, is in his 18th year in the Senate.

Please follow DVJournal on social media: X@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

Chester’s new mayor wants a better relationship with the Pennsylvania government-appointed receiver overseeing the city’s finances.

On the Delaware Valley Journal podcast, Mayor-elect Stefan Roots acknowledged disincorporation is a real threat to the city’s existence, but he sees the state receiver and “getting through bankruptcy” as the solution. Roots sees Receiver Michael Doweary and his team as potential partners for the city to turn its fiscal fortunes around.

“One of the things that is going to help bankruptcy move along is to reduce the amount of challenge that we have brought to the receiver and his team… we’re going to get through this,” said Roots.

That would be a major political reversal in Chester City Hall. Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland has regularly clashed with Doweary, who was appointed in 2020 by then-Gov. Tom Wolf. The pair have gone to court over city salaries, and Kirkland once used a racial slur towards Doweary. Pennsylvania government attorneys accused Kirkland of “intentionally vexatious and obdurate behavior…which has wasted taxpayer dollars and…time that the City of Chester does not have.”

Roots’ strategy is to embrace the financial resources the receiver can bring to Chester while protecting the city’s autonomy.

“There’s been a lot of talk that he’s coming here to change the form of government or run the city, and that’s not the case at all,” Roots said.

“Working with the receiver, in my mind, does not mean falling into line with everything he wants to do. This is our city. This is my city,” Roots said. “We expect to come to terms on most things, but he’s not going to run over me.”

Chester’s fiscal books are full of red ink. The city lost $400,000 meant for the city employee workers’ compensation insurance fund after soon-to-be former Councilman William Morgan fell for a phishing scam. He was later removed from overseeing the city’s finances and voted out of office in this year’s Democratic primary. Other issues involve $127 million in unfunded pension benefits and $232 million owed for retiree healthcare.

Doweary warned the city could be dissolved if it didn’t get its house in order. Doweary’s chief of staff later told DVJournal it needed $5 million to make payroll in January 2024. Chester was put into Chapter 9 bankruptcy earlier this year.

Roots wants an equal partnership between the city and Doweary. “I’m bringing experts to the table as well, with the receiver. His emphasis is on finances…but the city definitely has to have input” on whatever financial changes might happen.

The state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED)has defended Doweary’s time as Chester receiver, praising him for working with Chester elected officials and taking “many positive steps on the road to financial recovery.” That included hiring a chief of staff to run the government and suggesting that a chief financial officer (CFO) be hired in the future.

The DCED wants Doweary to remain on the job for a few more years. There is still a case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on whether Doweary overstepped his bounds.

When state Rep. John Lawrence read Delaware Valley Journal’s coverage of the City of Chester’s latest financial troubles last spring, one part of the story piqued his interest.

Receiver Michael Doweary was presenting the possibility that Chester might face disincorporation due to its calamitous finances. Chester’s Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland pushed back, saying he had offered the Receiver two plans to avoid such a disaster. Kirkland said both plans involved deals with the Chester Water Authority, including selling CWA to Aqua PA.

Lawrence, a Republican representing West Grove, wanted to see Kirkland’s plans, so he filed right-to-know (RTK) requests with Chester and with the Receiver.

Here’s where the story gets strange.

Doweary denied Lawrence’s RTK requests because the agency did not have those records. The City of Chester denied the request in part because it was “a record of an agency relating to a noncriminal investigation, including a record that, if disclosed, would…deprive a person of the right to an impartial adjudication.”

In a letter to Lawrence, Doweary said, “We do not know what documents that Mayor Kirkland is referencing when he refers to ‘two credible plans.’ My office has not received any plans from Mayor Kirkland. We suggest that you make this request of Mayor Kirkland, and in the event that you receive a response, we would appreciate it if you could please provide us with that information as well.”

Attached to the letter was an affidavit from Doweary attesting to the fact that “we have not identified any records within the Agency’s possession, custody and control that are responsive to Rep. Lawrence’s Request for copies of the ‘two credible Plans’ allegedly provided by Chester City Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland.”

In addition to interfering with an investigation, Chester officials also claimed the request for the two plans would be part of “internal, pre-decisional deliberations of an agency, its members, employees or officials.”

“That’s baloney,” Lawrence told DVJournal. “Somebody’s lying. Either the records exist, or they don’t exist. That’s deeply problematic.”

Last week, Lawrence appealed Chester’s denial to the Office of Open Records (OOR).

Lawrence said the two plans mentioned by Kirkland are not exempt under the law. The two credible plans are “not deliberations themselves,” Lawrence wrote.

“Even more likely, these ‘credible plans’ include estimates, projections, actual budget figures or comparisons. In such cases, OOR has concluded that such materials are not deliberative in nature.”

And if the plans do contain some deliberative information, redacting that is the appropriate response, not denial, Lawrence said. He suggests the OOR privately review the documents to determine that issue.

As for Chester’s response regarding an investigation, Lawrence was more vehement.

“It strains the credulity for the local agency to assert that the disclosure of the Mayor’s ‘two credible plans’ for fiscal recovery of the city transmitted to the Receiver relates to a noncriminal investigation or would somehow deprive a person of their right to an impartial adjudication,” Lawrence wrote.

“As there is no investigation or probe, it bears mentioning that the local agency is equally unable to assert that providing these records would deprive the Mayor (or anyone employed by the City) of an impartial adjudication,” Lawrence wrote to the OOR.

Frank Catania, a lawyer for CWA, said one plan was likely the offer by CWA of $60 million for the city not to sell CWA, and the other plan was to sell CWA to Aqua PA. Catania said the latter would only transfer the financial burden from taxpayers to ratepayers.

Kirkland confirmed that the two plans he handed over to the Receiver early in his tenure were related to CWA. However, he said, the city’s solicitor told him they were confidential and could not be released in response to Lawrence’s RTK request. Kirkland did not know why Doweary would claim he had received no plans from Kirkland.

“That’s not true,” said Kirkland. “I gave the Receiver two plans as soon as he got here. Once again, he’s not being truthful and honest.”

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

The City of Chester is in danger of dissolution due to its dire financial situation.

It has been in Pennsylvania’s Act 47 Financial Recovery Program since 1995. That law allows the commonwealth’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to monitor Chester’s books, come up with a recovery plan, and offer financial aid that will be repaid.

So imagine Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland’s surprise when the city was told the state expected it to pay more than half a million dollars in fees to attorneys looking over its retirement system. He expressed his outrage at the August 9 city council meeting.

“Now, all of a sudden, we done hit the lottery y’all,” he told the council. “We couldn’t get any of these services, and you know why? Because they didn’t want us to provide you with the help that you needed. And they convinced people in this city to attack us and then turn around and give their behinds to kiss.”

The Receiver for the City of Chester, Michael Doweary, said the city has the ability and the duty to make those payments. Doweary’s critics point out he put Chester into Chapter 9 bankruptcy last November, repeatedly insisting the city’s finances were a disaster.

A judge accepted the bankruptcy filing in March, but Doweary went even further, suggesting the city could be dissolved. Doweary’s chief of staff previously told DVJournal that Chester needs $5 million to make payrolls in January 2024.

Now he wants Chester to pay up.

Chester’s biggest financial anvil? Retiree benefits. Federal bankruptcy court documents list the city’s unfunded pension plan balance at $127 million. It also owes the retirees $232 million in healthcare benefits.

A Retiree Committee was formed in February that quickly hired Flaster/Greenberg and Jenner & Block, two high-profile law firms, as representatives. Those lawyers racked up approximately $520 thousand in bills. The Committee sent it to Doweary. He turned to outgoing Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland, telling him the cash would have to come from the city.

“The City is legally required to pay these legal fees subject to a reasonableness test,” said Doweary in an email to Kirkland. The mayor relayed the message to the city council last week. “I am, therefore, at this time, approving the payment of $100,000 per month going forward to the retiree professional group as a whole for the payment of fees.”

Kirkland feels otherwise, vowing the city never promised any money. He said it was Doweary who made the offer.

The Kirkland-Doweary relationship runs the gamut between heated (Doweary went to court over city officials’ salaries) and downright hostile (Kirkland once used a racial slur toward Doweary).

So, where did Doweary come up with the cash in his offer to the Retiree Committee in May? That is what Kirkland wants to know, given all the predictions of Chester’s fiscal doom.

Chester’s Official Retiree Committee hopes a federal bankruptcy judge will step in. Its attorneys asked the judge this week to tell the city and Doweary to show them the money.

“The Receiver represented to the Retiree Committee that the City could pay the fees and expenses of the Retiree Committee’s professionals and, implicitly, made the same representation to the Court by filing the Compensation Procedures Motion.,” said court documents filed Monday in bankruptcy court. “The Receiver was undoubtedly aware of what the City’s 2023 budget provided for when the Receiver filed the Compensation Procedures Motion. Whatever constraints there may be in that budget, these are not new developments. Therefore, the City’s bait-and-switch should be prohibited under the doctrine of judicial estoppel, as well as equitable estoppel and similar doctrines.”

The Committee’s attorneys accuse Doweary and his staff of not answering certain questions regarding the payments.

“On July 12, 2023, the Retiree Committee’s Professionals met via video conference with Ballard Spahr and Vijay Kapoor of Kapoor & Co. (the Receiver’s chief of staff) to discuss the issues raised in the letters… On July 27, 2023, the lead financial advisor to the Retiree Committee further discussed the issues with Mr. Kapoor and proposed a potential solution. To date, the Receiver has not responded to the proposal.”

The committee’s lawyers suggest Pennsylvania’s government may need to pony up funds. “If the City cannot fund the Chapter 9 process, it must look to the Commonwealth to meet its obligations in this case. The Commonwealth cannot properly avail itself and the City of the benefits of Chapter 9 bankruptcy while simultaneously failing to provide for the payment of the professionals who have been administering this case for the benefit of the City’s stakeholders.”

Their suggestion involved asking the Pennsylvania government to provide “debtor-in-possession financing” to Chester, specifically tied to “a liquidity or monetization occurs” involving the city’s water and sewer assets. Court documents claim Doweary and DCED balked at the suggestion.

“Initially, the Receiver refused to even broach the subject with the Commonwealth, opting instead to file the Compensation Procedures Motion,” said Committee attorneys in their filing. They contend that Doweary and DCED discussed their proposal last month but decided to play legal games. “It is unclear how enthusiastically the Receiver advocated for this concept (neither the Retiree Committee nor its Professionals were invited to participate in that discussion), but the DCED flatly rejected the proposal without offering any other solutions.”

Kirkland is pretty sure that Doweary is the one doing bait and switch. “I said it then, and I’ll say it now,” he told the City Council last week. “They said that we were going to be disincorporated…and all of a sudden, we got money to pay these bills. Legal fees for the retirees…over a half million dollars. But, some people fell off the okey-doke when they said that disincorporation stuff.”

He noted that disincorporation hadn’t been mentioned since he lost the Democratic primary in May.

The Receiver’s Office declined to respond to multiple requests for comment.

A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro referred questions on how much money Chester needs to clear out its debt to the Receiver’s Office. The spokesperson gave the same answer when asked where Doweary found the money.

Doweary remains in good favor with the state. “The Shapiro Administration supports the extension of Michael Doweary as the Receiver,” said a DCED spokesperson in a statement. “The Department of Community and Economic Development’s Secretary filed the application with Commonwealth Court on July 25, 2023, to extend Chester’s receivership and Michael Doweary’s term as receiver for an additional two years.”

“How much money have they brought to this city to help this city financially?” asked Kirkland during last week’s city council meeting as he unloaded a rhetorical machine gun at Doweary. The Receiver did not appear before the council. “But we listen to this crap…to these folks that come in here and shove garbage down your throat, and we eat it. And they say it’s the truth when they’re lying to your faces.”

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

Stefan Roots has beaten Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland in the Democratic primary for Chester mayor and will be on the ballot in November. And it’s possible Roots may be running against himself.

Without a Republican candidate in the race, the GOP nominee will be determined by the results of the 205 write-in ballots. And given that Roots has received a significant number of write-in votes from Republicans in the past, speculation is rife within City Hall that he is likely to be the GOP nominee, too.

Delaware County Spokeswoman Adrienne Marofsky said the county was still counting votes and could not confirm on Thursday whether the write-in Republican votes were for Roots or other candidates.

Roots told DVJournal on Wednesday that if he did get the most Republican write-in votes, it wasn’t part of his plan.

“I did not cross-file,” Roots said. “So, if Republicans voted for me, I’d be curious to know how many.”

“When I ran for council, I got 94 write-ins. Between then and now, I learned that if I’d gotten to 100, that would automatically put me on the ballot in the fall. I guess I’m a Republican and a Democrat. I’ll be competing against myself.”

Roots mentioned in a May 16 article that he was confident he would get enough Republican votes to run in November.

Asked about that article that mentions Republicans voting for him, Roots said it was not part of his strategy, but he would not be surprised, given that he had 94 Republican write-in votes when he ran for council, that more Republicans would write his name in.

“I assumed it was the same 94 plus at least six more,” he said when asked to clarify his remarks. Since he has been on council, he said more people know about him. “There was not any effort on my part. If they did it on their own, they did it on their own.”

On the Democrat side, Roots received 2,027 votes to Kirkland’s 730. Patricia Worrell tallied 552.

Kirkland did not respond to requests for comment.

Roots, a blogger and councilman, campaigned on the promise that he would offer a fresh start for the beleaguered city, which is under the control of a state Receiver because of longstanding financial difficulties.

“There will be changes,” said Roots. “I think the degree to which things will change will probably be more incremental than a big bang.”

Roots added, “There’s the Receiver, and court cases will be heard and hopefully settled even before I take office, which won’t be until January.”

“There’s a lot of moving parts,” said Roots. “You know, I wish I could wave a magic wand and throw all the appeals out the window and just focus on getting things right. But our mayor and council members have chosen to challenge receivership in the direction the courts want to go. I’m still a council person, and I can’t reverse any of that in the meantime.”

Asked about Covanta, the trash incinerator that has been an issue for many Chester residents, Roots said he would be more aggressive than Kirkland in demanding benefits for the city from Covanta.

“I’m looking to work with them to partner in beautifying Chester,” said Roots. “It’s long overdue. They want to be a partner, and I don’t think the city has asked enough of them up until now. They’re going to hear my knock at the door quite often.”

Roots said there are seven months for him and his team to make the transition to a new administration.

“The team I’ve assembled is champing at the bit,” said Roots. Chester has been losing “one brick at a time,” he said. “It’s time to put the pieces back together again in the other direction.”

As a little reward for winning, Roots went to his favorite shoe store Wednesday morning and bought himself a new pair of black dress shoes.

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

The state Fraternal Order of Police and the Delaware County Council filed  friend of the court briefs in support of the Chester Receiver in a case pending in the state Supreme Court.

The Receiver is seeking to strip local elected officials from their roles as heads of city departments and instead appoint what he believes are qualified individuals to run Chester. That would affirm a January decision by a Commonwealth Court judge.

The FOP legal brief brandishes harsh wording, blaming Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland and city officials for the city’s dire financial straits. The county’s brief uses more measured language, saying it has a vested interest in Chester’s recovery.

“The recovery plan will be the only way the municipality will get back on its feet,” Delaware County said in its brief. “The only alternative to a successful Act 47 process is chaos. The Commonwealth cannot allow one of its cities to devolve into chaos.”

In her January ruling, Judge Ellen Ceisler blasted city officials for nepotism and self-dealing. She ordered them to step down and allow the Receiver to appoint qualified individuals to run the city’s departments.

“Unfortunately, the promise of a secure pension has been broken by the City of Chester,” the FOP brief said. “This matter involves, among other acts of malfeasance, the complete and utter failure of the city to comply with the statutory requirements relating to the financial solvency of defined benefit pensions for law enforcement officers such as those employed by the City of Chester and all law enforcement officers through the commonwealth.”

That has resulted in a $40 million deficit in the police pension plan, the filing stated. The deficit threatens the financial security of former and current police officers who are and have been employed by the city. The city’s conduct provides no realistic hope that “it will change its methods of operations and make the required MMO (minimum municipal obligation) payments.”

It also accuses the mayor of failing to make the payments with “full knowledge and intent.”

The county noted that other financially distressed cities, such as Harrisburg and Johnstown, have gone through the process with state control and come out of it with their problems resolved.

“This is a very important case, and it’s clear from the FOP’s and Delaware County’s filings that it’s not just the Receiver who recognizes that,” said Vijay Kapoor, chief of staff for Receiver Michael Doweary.

Last month Doweary said Chester’s government might have to be disincorporated or dissolved if it does not come out of insolvency by the end of the year. Former Gov. Tom Wolf appointed Doweary to help the cash-strapped municipality three years ago. But Doweary has claimed in court filings that city officials have thwarted him at every turn.

Frank Catania, a lawyer for the Chester Water Authority, said there is more to this situation than the court documents might suggest. Chester has been under state oversight for decades, said Catania. And instead of improving, the situation has gotten much worse.

“There’s a dispute as to how much of that (lack of retirement fund payments) is the city’s fault and how much of that is the state’s fault,” said Catania. “And neither filing addresses the issue of the state’s involvement or responsibility.”

“And I think it’s not fair to the city or the mayor to have him blamed for this when the city has been under Act 47 supervision for almost 30 years,” said Catania. “I mean, all of this happened when the state was supposedly overseeing (it),” he said. And about the county council’s filing, “It’s more politics than policy,” he said.

Council wants “regime change” in Chester, said Catania. “This is being done 13 days before the primary.”

“And I don’t read it as an expression of support for any particular policy,” said Catania. “I believe it to be a political act.”

Mayor Kirkland did not respond to requests for comment.

The state Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in the case on May 24.

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal