President Melissa gave a Rotary welcome in front of our RI banner to two of the three Chester County Commissioners, Marian Moskowitz and Josh Maxwell. They in turn gave inspiring comments on the state of our county and work of the commissioners.
Moskowitz said the skills she learned along the way as a businesswoman have been helpful in her job as commissioner. “These skills came in handy when I took office, and we were immediately faced with the challenges presented by COVID, and storm Ida. Despite those, we continued to work to move the county forward.”
“Specifically, we are responsible for running 911, the courts, deeds and working with 2,600 county employees. We have worked on community development to get walking trails throughout the county, and on environmental issues. We have seen two hospitals close, and as the fastest growing county in the state, and one of the wealthiest in the country, we still have major challenges. One of our biggest problems is having enough affordable housing for seniors and the workforce. We are looking at creative solutions, such as those being done in California and other states."
Continuing on an inspiriting and positive note, Maxwell said we are the only county in the state with the top credit rating.
“When we came into office,” said the former Downingtown Mayor, “we did something different with budgeting. Instead of just rolling it over with changes, we looked at how the county budgeted its money, and invited each agency to bid on the monies they needed for projects. By doing this we stopped funding things that didn’t work.”
New in the county is a mobile mental health crisis center which is staffed 24/7 with social workers. Open space has continued to be a priority and over 30 percent of county land has been preserved, with 70 percent of residents living near a park. The commissioners are also looking at transportation and what it should look like. “We have joined forces with three other counties to look at the issue.” added Moskowitz. “We need better service for seniors and those with no driver’s license.”
By the way, both commissioners have signed up to be judges at the Chili Cook-off! Have YOU signed up to help out?