Chester County commissioners approve ordinance creating local Human Relations Commission, 2-1

Chester County commissioners voted to adopt Ordinance 2025-03 on Sept. 24, 2025, creating the Chester County Human Relations Commission to receive, investigate and adjudicate complaints of discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. The measure passed on a 2-1 vote: Commissioners Josh Maxwell and Marion Moskowitz voted in favor; Commissioner Eric Rowe voted against it.

The ordinance lays out procedures for filing complaints, conducting investigations and holding hearings and declares protections on a range of categories including race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, disability, source of income, age and veteran status. County counsel said the commission would operate under long‑standing local agency law and that decisions could be appealed to the Court of Common Pleas.

Supporters said a local body would give residents faster, local recourse than state or federal agencies. Dante Deandre,…