Quality of life

Chester County residents have long enjoyed a good quality of life, and one ingredient of that is the  coordinated efforts by many people and many groups to help preserve and protect open space. The county recently announced open space preservation funding opportunities through the Preservation Partnership Program. The application period for this program’s grant cycle runs from March 1 to April 30. The application, instructions, and a list of previously funded projects are available online at https://www.chesco.org/DocumentCenter/View/82582/R38-PPP-Manual. Approximately $2 million is available for selected projects. This program has resulted in the preservation of over 20,000 acres in Chester County since it began in 1989. A “Quality of Life” citizen survey conducted in 2023 revealed that local residents considered open space a top priority, second only to emergency services and the county’s 9-1-1 system. The preservation of farmland and open spaces is important to the quality of life that Chester County residents want, and efforts to continue to make progress should be applauded.

Register and then vote

The last day to register to vote in the Primary Election is now about a month away—May 4 is the last day for Pennsylvania residents to register to participate in the upcoming election.

The gubernatorial race will get top billing in the state during this off-year election, and Pennsylvania voters will also choose a lieutenant governor and representatives in the State House. On a more local level, voters will be selecting committee people to serve in key roles for the political parties.

This page has long advocated for all residents to vote. Your vote matters. You matter.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19. Make your plans to vote. The last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot is May 12.

The General Election will then take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

An example of why voting is important

One illustration of why voting is important is the failure on the part of the State Legislature to take meaningful action on Pennsylvania’s wholly inadequate minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 per hour since 2009. The logical thing to do would be to have small, incremental increases so that the state-wide minimum wage is connected, on some level, to the rate of inflation. The Pennsylvania State House recently passed legislation that would increase the minimum wage in the state to $15. This is the third time that the State House has approved legislation to increase the minimum wage, but the legislation hasn’t been approved by the State Senate. Any well-compensated state lawmaker who votes against the legislation to increase the state minimum wage should, in turn, be voted out of office. Enough is enough.