My thanks to Chester Mayor John Linder, who joined us last night and reviewed the State of the City.
We talked about the economic rebirth in the city, including the arrival of two new supermarkets in a city once labeled derisively as a 'food desert.'
I also asked the mayor about concerns raised by the outgoing head of the Chester Economic Development Council, Jackie Parker, who believes many city efforts to turn things around are being hampered by its form of government. The mayor actually agreed.
He also did not shy away from my question about his sometimes prickly relationship with the Philadelphia Union, the city's Major League Soccer francise that plays its games at PPL Park. A few weeks ago, the team's CEO announced things had turned so sour with the city that the team now was looking outside the city limits for a spot to build its new practice facility. A few days later he had changed his mind and said the team and city were now back on the same page to build the facility next to PPL Park.
"What happened in those two days?" I asked the mayor.
"We talked," he responded.
And, of course, we talked about safety and the city's image. I asked him flat-out: "Is the city safe?"
We talked about a lot of things last night.
You can catch the replay here and see his answers here.
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