CHESTER, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — It will no longer be business as usual in Chester following the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling there can be a change in the chain of command with day-to-day operations.
Michael Doweary took over as the state-appointed receiver for the city of Chester in 2022, with the task of getting them off Pennsylvania’s financially distressed list. According to current mayor Stefan Roots, Doweary wanted to control just about everything the city government controls.
That did not sit well with the previous administration of lawmakers, so they took him to court.
“There’s been some uncertainty of what are the powers of receivership, the limitations there. So what the Supreme Court did was really clarify chain of command and what the powers are,” he said.
Doweary now has the power to select department heads, which were positions previously held by city council members. He says the main issue of the lawsuit was the selection of department heads and whether city council officials should continue to serve in that capacity.
Now that the responsibility of being able to provide operations efficiently falls squarely on the mayor’s office, Roots says he thinks these changes are for the best.
“We’re excited inside of city hall that Supreme Court saw that the lower court, the commonwealth court decision was correct and proper in giving the receiver what he asked for,” he said.
Doweary believes these changes in power are key to helping him get Chester out of bankruptcy before his tenure ends in 2025.