County communications director outlines social‑media strategy; City of Chester mayor highlights grants and local projects

Morgan Shirley, Chester County communications officer, told council that since stepping into the role in June 2025 the office has prioritized transparency and consistent outreach. Shirley highlighted a budget explainer video with 4,500–5,000 views, roughly 1,500 new followers on county social pages since June and a newly launched county website. She said the communications team will continue department director videos, targeted town halls and data-driven posting to improve resident engagement.

Mayor Carlos Williams of the City of Chester presented a city update, listing multiple recent grants and initiatives: a $250,000 grant for drainage assessment and potential infrastructure improvements, a smart-growth planning grant to guide the city comprehensive plan, an electric-vehicle charging-station grant for the new city hall and multiple back‑to‑back grant awards the city has received. Williams also discussed downtown revitalization, an arts-and-entertainment wayfinding initiative, plans to clean and reopen Wiley Park pool (subject to lifeguard availability and training) and Mount Hebron Cemetery cleanup efforts. He described a mayor’s ball to raise scholarship funds for area high schools and said the city is pursuing redevelopment opportunities for a long-vacant brownfield site near the smokestack landmark.

Shirley and the mayor both emphasized outreach and public engagement: Shirley framed social media and website work as tools to reduce misinformation and connect residents to county services; Williams invited county partnership on recreation and shared plans for community events to support downtown businesses.