Interview: Marian Moskowitz

Targeting tech

Environment is ripe for technology growth but training local talent is a necessity

Marian Moskowitz

Commissioners’ Chair – Chester County

In which sectors would you like to see more growth in Chester County? I would like to see more technology growth in Chester County; we’re ripe for it. We have very close relationships with our universities. West Chester, Immaculata and Lincoln University are in our backyard. We have other universities, community colleges and STEM schools throughout the county. One struggle is getting local talent trained for technology jobs. We’re thrilled that Mphasis has chosen Chester County to reside in. They are taking 1,000 employees from Vanguard and instead of taking those jobs out of the county, they’ll be setting up a permanent residence here. Those are the kind of things that help us build the future right, while still keeping our agricultural community, which is really important to us.

Aside from COVID, what are the prevalent challenges you would like to see addressed? We would like to help municipalities with their stormwater management plans. We have a great comprehensive plan called Landscapes3, which stipulates our goals for things such as our open space, stormwater management, where we want to see the County grow and prosper. It’s going to be a year of repairing, restructuring and resolve. We are looking forward to the day when residents can feel good again, go out and visit shops, visit restaurants and see the beauty that Chester County has to offer. Everyone has struggled during the pandemic. Two key areas that we need to focus more resources on is drug and alcohol abuse and the mental health sector. We have to work on drug and alcohol abuse because that has become even more rampant during this time, given the despair and depression that people are feeling. What is your general outlook for Chester County? First and foremost is the county budget. We’re focusing on zero-based budgeting for next year and outcome budgeting after that. We’re exploring those options because we do function differently. The end game for the Chester County government is that each department will function more efficiently. Economic development is also key. We’ve been working nonstop on transportation needs in the county and its overall improvement. One way we have started this initiative is by seeking to get trains and more diverse public transportation to the county seat, as well as the outskirts of the county. We recently partnered with Urban Outfitters, PennDot, the Governor’s Office and the Transportation Management Association of Chester County (TMACC) to get jobs to Coatesville where transportation has been a struggle.