Republican candidate for commissioner David Sommers (left), Republican Committee of Chester County chairperson Raffi Terzian (center), and commissioner candidate Eric Roe pose at the Chester County GOP endorsement convention. (Courtesy of Mitchell Micale)
Roe, a former state representative for Pennsylvania’s 158th House District, is a familiar face for many in the county. He said he wants Chesco to be the most “family-friendly” and “business-friendly” area in the country.
But, he said Chester County is changing at a rapid pace.
“We have a lot of development taking place here. Some of it’s good, but not all of it is. And we need to make sure that we are building in the right places so that we’re not tearing down otherwise green spaces, open spaces, wetlands, forest lands, farmlands just for the sake of building. We need to be using smart growth policies,” Roe said.
In addition to prioritizing land preservation, Roe said if elected, he plans to improve communication with constituents and advocate on behalf of taxpayers.
“As a county commissioner, I will absolutely serve as a check and balance against any attempts to raise our taxes,” Roe said.
Eric Roe, his wife Alice, and three of their children (Courtesy of Michael Morby)
“I don’t intend to engage in any mudslinging. I don’t intend to be openly hostile to the Democrats running. My goal is just to talk about what I’ve done lately,” Roe said.
Commissioners Josh Maxwell and Marian Moskowitz secured the first Democratic majority on Chester County’s Board of Commissioners in 2019. They’re looking to repeat.
2 years ago
Sommers, 48, a teacher for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for 23 years, decided to jump into the political fray during the height of the pandemic.
“I felt that there was a big disconnect between elected officials and their decisions that they made impacting schools, churches, houses of worship, small businesses, local businesses — that there was a disconnect that our elected officials did not necessarily perhaps understand because they had not experienced those decisions at the ground level,” Sommers said.
Characterizing himself as a political outsider, he said county government needs an infusion of “regular, working-class people.”
Sommers platform focuses on cutting spending and limiting the role of government.
“I don’t think they should do anything that would go against the Constitution, those God-given rights. I also think that we need to make sure government is transparent as well. That could be from the voter services that the elections are certified without having outstanding reconciliation. That should be done as well as we should have accountability for our precinct — the roles of the different precincts. The 230 throughout Chester County should be updated,” Sommers said.
Because Chester County requires minority party representation on the board of commissioners, no political party will be completely excluded from the county government.
Sommers said preserving land and addressing the closures of Brandywine and Jennersville hospitals are two issues where he can find common ground across the aisle.
Democratic party officials say they are energized and not taking anything for granted in any of the county-wide races. Maxwell levied criticism at the county Republican party for compiling a ticket of only male candidates for commissioner, judicial posts, and other row offices.
WHYY News reached out to the Republican Committee of Chester County for an interview, but officials were not available for an interview.
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