By Rohan Anne, Webmaster
On Nov. 7, Chester County held elections for several state and county-level positions.
At the state level, Democrats Daniel McCaffery, Jill Beck, Timika Lane and Matt Wolf won the positions of justice of the Supreme Court, judge of the Superior Court and judge of the Commonwealth Court, respectively. These positions manage each of the state courts and their respective cases.
The Democratic party maintained its status as the majority party in the Chester County Board of Commissioners with the re-election of Democrats Josh Maxwell and Marian Moskowitz and the election of Republican Eric Roe. The Chester County Board of Commissioners acts as the main financial and policy manager for the county.
For single-member offices, Democratic candidates Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe, Kevin Dykes, Debbie Bookman, Michele Vaughn and Diane O’Dwyer secured the positions of district attorney, sheriff, prothonotary, register of wills and recorder of deeds, respectively.
Democrats Sarah Black, Deborah Ryan, Fredda Maddox, Nicole Forzato and Thomas McCabe won judgeships in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas.
Other than Roe, the Democratic party secured every position this election.
Zac Costas, a sophomore and intern at New Voters, a national nonprofit that focuses on increasing youth voter turnout, said that the results of the elections represent public opinion.
“The results are what the people decided,” Costas said. “In the elections, the results are based on what the people in the county voted for and decide, and the Democratic majority is just how it works out (in Chester County).”
During the campaigning process, candidates focused on a variety of issues in the county. According to Maxwell’s website, one of his main focuses during his previous term was implementing a new budgeting process in which the county budget reflected community values and needs. District attorney elect Barrena-Sarobe primarily focused on reducing crime in the county during his campaign.
“I’m a former federal prosecutor, as well as someone who has prosecuted cases in Chester County,” Barrena-Sarobe said. “I want to make sure that we’re doing our part to fight against gun violence, drug trade and gun trafficking.”
The new elected officials will begin their terms in January 2024. Costas believes that local elections are important as they show the opinion of the county’s population and who they want in power.
“These (elections) are vital to our society in the fact that the people can choose who they put in power to represent them,” Costas said. “It’s also very important because the ones voting and putting their voice out there decide who will continue governing and making laws which affect the people who live here.”
Rohan Anne can be reached at [email protected].
