Thaddeus Kirkland: Latest News

CHESTER, Pa. - The City of Chester, a beleaguered suburb of Philadelphia, will have a new mayor in January after a member of city council ousted their longtime mayor. Stefan Root, a 62-year-old Councilmember and electrical engineer, defeated two-term Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland by thousands of votes in the city's recent election. If he beats an independent challenger in the fall, Root will take the reins of the bankrupt city that's finances are currently controlled by a state-appointed receiver with a $45M hole in its pension. "Most of my work is going to be in city hall, straightening up city hall trying to turn it back into a business because it’s a $65M operation not a corner store operation.," Root told FOX 29's Jeff Cole. When manufacturing vanished in Chester the city faded. Some of its 33k residents struggle with poverty on streets marred by broken down homes.  Roots said he wants to work with the state Receiver to fix the city’s deep financial problems.

CHESTER, Pa. - The mayor of Chester called on state leaders in Harrisburg to dip into a multi-billion dollar rainy day fund to help the decades-long financially-strapped suburb of Philadelphia. Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland and members of city council will head to Pennsylvania's capitol in hopes to hammer out a plan to get $8 billion directed to Chester.The city of more than 32,000 has been designated a "financially stressed municipality" since 1997, and some believe it's in danger of becoming disincorporated and divided. As Chester tries to navigate turbulent financial waters, Mayor Kirkland claims the state-appointed receiver keeps preventing local solutions to Chester's money woes. One of those proposed solutions involves a plan to sell Chester's water system to Aqua PA for $440M. MORE LOCAL HEADLINES"With $12M separate from the $440M up front - which would have helped the city with its financial woes - the receiver instead decided not to have that conversation," Kirkland said. When reached for comment, Receiver Michael Doweary told FOX 29 that courts on both the federal and county level have been clear.

CHESTER, Pa. - The city of Chester has not been immune to the gun violence problem plaguing Philadelphia, and officials are taking steps to curb the carnage before summer."We should be up to 100 plus officers in this city. We are not there.