Technical glitches, misplaced ballots delay final county vote count; GOP leader calls for audit

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa Although more than week has passed since Election Day, Chester County Voter Services continues to count votes — as a technical issue caused an apparent miscount and a batch of mail in votes dropped off at the Downingtown Library had not been counted. While Voter Services worked to correct the counts on Wednesday, the chair of the county’s Republican...

Democrats sweep countywide races again; make gains in school boards, municipal races

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa It took a bit of time to get results, but Chester County’s Democrats managed to squeak out a sweep of wins in the Row Office and Court of Common Pleas races in Tuesday’s elections. Although margins were close, county Democrats were able to buck national trends and make gains in district justice, school board and municipal races around the county. Turnout...

Democrats blast Chesco GOP over ‘racist’ ads

The Chester County Democratic Committee condemned a newspaper and digital sign ad its leadership described as “racist” that ran in a local daily newspaper and on one digital billboard on Sunday. The full-page ad, which featured an image of a young black child taking up the top half of it, claiming without evidence that their views are being silenced (this and many area publications...

Op/Ed: Keep Chester County moving forward

By Charlotte Valyo, Chair, Chester County Democratic Committee Charlotte Valyo While Congressional and Presidential elections usually get the most attention and the highest voter turnout, local elections are where voters can truly have the most impact on their communities. These elections have traditionally been defined by local issues — roads, schools, land preservation, and local taxes,...

Letter: Before you go to polls, please read this!

To the Editor, The Republican Committee of Chester County (RCCC) has violated their own bylaws in attempting to overturn the will of over 2,900 Republican Voters.  This past May, Mr. Chris McCune won the Republican Primary for West Chester Area School District (WCASD) Region 3 Director by a wide margin.  This is why you will find his name on the official ballot as a Republican. One reason Chester...

Op/Ed: It’s time to set things right

By Dr. Gordon Eck, Chairman, Republican Committee of Chester County Dr. Gordon Eck Thomas Jefferson said, “Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.” In recent weeks and months, there has been an ever-increasing awareness that things have...

Letter: Politicization of school boards should concern everyone

To The Editor, The rapid politicization of school boards should be of concern to all stakeholders. There are good and valid reasons that school board members should adopt a non-partisan stance in their duties.  The only agenda a school board candidate should have is the continued educational progress of our students, the continued prudent use of taxpayer money and community resources, and the...

Letter: WCASD voters beware

To the Editor, Who should we trust when voting on Tuesday, November 2nd?  If you cannot trust your own political party and its leadership, who can you trust to be truthful, well-intentioned, and sincere when it comes to the students, teachers, and staff within the West Chester Area School District? Last May, I had the unique opportunity to support a Republican school board candidate for re-election...

Letter: Why this life-long Democrat is supporting Republican Geoffrey Gamble for Kennett Township Supervisor

To The Editor, I’ve been an active Democrat since JFK ran for President. More recently I worked to elect all three Democratic Kennett Township Supervisors, and then helped to implement their agenda by serving for almost five years as the Township’s Director of Sustainable Development. So why am I now voting for Republican Geoff Gamble rather than sticking with Democrat Whitney Hoffman? To be...

Don’t let anyone tell you differently, your vote matters

By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa There’s a temptation to throw up one’s arms and say “it is hopeless. There is nothing I can do.” I fear a lot of people may have that point of view when it comes to voting on Nov. 2. Fatigued from so much bad news, frustration and acting out by a small number of people, I understand why people would just want to ignore all of this, watch Netflix...