Nobody knows better than I do the feelings of the residents of Chester, many of whom believe the Daily Times is always picking on their city.
I heard it again this week after we published a story with data from a Pittsburgh lawyer indicating Chester was the most dangerous city to live in Pennsylvania.
What we did not hear from was Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland. We did not get a response when we asked for reaction to the label while working on the story.
Of course, I heard from the mayor after the story hit the street Tuesday morning.
As you might imagine, the mayor was not pleased.
And as I always do in these instances, I offered him the opportunity to respond.
You can read that response on our op-ed page today.
There is a lot of good things happening in the city of Chester.
It has a vibrant arts scene that is sparking a renaissance in the downtown sector. It has a majestic waterfront, home of Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union, where 20,000 fans routinely come and go without incident.
It is very easy to get a skewed image of the city.
That's why I am always looking for positive stories from the city.
This week we published a story about a job fair being held at City Hall. We pay close attention to what is going on in the city's arts scene. Our Friday religion pages are filled with events at Chester places of worship.
I strive to present a balanced view. I'm sure there are a lot of people who believe I fail miserably at that job.
To them I make the same offer. I am an equal-opportunity publicist. Write a letter and I'll run it on our op-ed page.
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