In the presence of family members, politicians, and county officials, a lawyer from Tredyffrin Township was sworn in on Tuesday, Dec. 16, filling the vacancy created by Ryan Costello, who was elected to the U.S. House in November.
Before administering the oath, Chester County President Judge James P. MacElree II called Michelle H. Kichline “the very best” of six well-qualified Republican candidates who had sought the seat and were interviewed by the Chester County bench on Dec. 6.
Valentino DiGiorgio III, head of the county's Republican Party, also praised Kichline's qualifications, predicting that her "well-rounded resume in local government" would continue a pattern of strong GOP leadership. That history has led to many accolades for the county, which has been rated the healthiest and wealthiest in the state, he said.
Addressing the audience in Courtroom One of the Chester County, Kichline said she was humbled and honored by her selection. She expressed thanks to her husband, Michael, their two children, and her parents, who “took a chance” in 1956 when they left Hungary with nothing to start a new life.
“Thanks, Mom and Dad, for all of your love and support, and for teaching me to work hard, to persevere, and to have a voice,” she said. “You are my heroes and my inspiration.”
Kichline pledged to help keep Chester County “recognized as one of the best places in our nation to live, work and play.” She ended her remarks with a quote from Henry Ford: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
A graduate of Conestoga High, the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University Law School, Kichline will join Terence Farrell, the other Republican on the board, and Democrat Kathi Cozzone. The seat will come up for election in November 2015.
A former chair of the Tredyffrin Township supervisors, Kichline has also served on the township’s zoning hearing board, the Chester County Association of Township Officials, and the Delaware River Port Authority.
Kichline’s appointment did not occur without dissent. Brian McGinnis, chair of the Chester County Democratic Committee, said in a prepared statement that her selection signaled a double standard among the judges.
McGinnis pointed out that in 2006 when then-commissioner Andy Dinniman, a Democrat, was elected to the state Senate, the judges selected former Democratic Commissioner Pat O'Donnell to fill the vacancy. At the time, they reasoned that a replacement who did not plan to run for a full term would level the primary’s playing field since no one would have the advantage of incumbency.
But that logic didn’t carry over into 2010 when the court appointed Costello to fill a vacancy, setting up his successful run for reelection, McGinnis said. He called Kichline’s appointment “a backroom deal brokered between the court and county Republicans, who of course originally financed the judges' campaigns to get them on the bench.”
McGinnis said if Kichline seeks reelection, she should expect a fight. “In 2013, Kichline, as an incumbent Tredyffrin supervisor, was rejected by the voters, who instead elected her Democratic opponents," McGinnis said.
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