Quick look at Chester County races

Chester County voters will not only have local decisions to make on election day, but they will also be casting votes for candidates that make decisions on the county level.

When voters enter the voting booth on Tuesday, Nov. 8, they will be voting for three county commissioners, district attorney, sheriff, prothonotary, register of wills and recorder of deeds.

All three current members of the Chester County Board of Commissioners are seeking four-year terms on the board, with Republican Terence Farrell and Democrat Kathi Cozzone seeking re-election along with Republican Ryan Costello, who was appointed to the board on Feb. 17 to serve the final 10 months of the four-year commissioner term left vacant by Carol Aichele.

Joining Cozzone on the Democratic side of the ballot is Susan Bayne, who has served on the West Chester Borough Council for the past eight years.

In Chester County, voters elect three commissioners: two majority party commissioners and one minority official.

According to the official Chester County website, “The three member Board of Commissioners constitutes the chief governing body of the county. The board, together with its executive staff, manages a large and diverse organization whose mission is to provide quality government services in an efficient, cost effective manner. Elected every four years, the Commissioners are responsible for policy making, fiscal management and the administration of county affairs.”

In the race for Chester County District Attorney, Democrat Samuel C. Stretton and Republican Tom Hogan are both hoping to succeed outgoing District Attorney Joseph Carroll.

In what has been a contentious race, both Hogan and Stretton are attorneys based in West Chester.

In the race for Chester County Sheriff, incumbent Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh will square off with Democrat Alex Caton, a West Bradford resident with a master's degree in criminal justice. Welsh has been sheriff since 2000 and was the first woman to ever be elected Sheriff of Chester County.

Republican incumbent Bryan Walters will run unopposed for the position of prothonotary, which according to the Chester County website, has “to function as the legal custodian of all civil instruments filed with the Court of Common Pleas, in accordance with the laws of civil procedure of the Commonwealth and the Chester County Rules of Court, by maintaining accurate indices and dockets, providing security for the documents, and making them available to the public.”

In the race for register of wills, Democrat Daniel Tyman, a Pocopson resident, will face Republican Terri Clark, a member of the West Chester Area District School Board.

In the race for recorder of deeds, Democrat Russ Phifer and Republican Rick Loughery will square off. According to the official Chester County website, “The Office of the Recorder of Deeds is the repository for documents primarily relating to real estate located in Chester County Pennsylvania. These documents include deeds, mortgages, rights-of-way, powers-of-attorney as well as other lesser known records, such as bonds and commissions for notaries and elected officials.”

Click here for sample ballots for local and Chester County races.