$164K for a Chief Experience Officer? Chester County finds new ways to spend your money

Chester County government just hired a newly created CXO — “Chief Experience Officer.” Just like they have at Disney, or Penn Medicine or Amazon. Because, after all, shouldn’t our county government spend our tax dollars to create yet another C-suite executive; just like multi-billion dollar corporations? Didn’t everyone in Chester County wake up this week and think to themselves: “The one thing that’s missing from County government is a chief experience officer?!” 

The local newspaper — usually very sympathetic to Democrats — noted that it’s “a position rarely seen in government.” Jealous, Montco?

The County Commissioners voted 2-1 (Eric Roe, the sole elected Republican remaining in County Government, voted “no”) to create this position for $164,000 per year, plus healthcare and eventually the county pension. That’s sweet action because according to ZipRecruiter, the average private sector CXO makes only $124,785. Apparently, if you’re Chester County Democrats, you go big, or you go home — especially with “OPM” (other people’s money)!

So far, 2025 has been the “breakout year” for Chesco’s Democrat Commissioners. First, they raised property taxes by 13.4 percent — for “large ticket items,” we were told.  Well, this is apparently one of those “large ticket items.” (Again, Roe was a “no” vote. Not wanting to raise taxes after years of citizens battling inflation; even in “affluent” Chesco, many homeowners can’t keep up.)

But raising taxes and creating new C-suite positions isn’t all that they’ve been doing at the courthouse. They increased spending by $70 million — that’s a 41 percent increase in the discretionary part of the county budget. They’re spending new property taxes, borrowing $10 million from county savings; plus $17 million in “unused” Covid money. (It’s 2025. If the County hasn’t spent Covid money by now, maybe refund it to us, the taxpayers?)

Making government bigger. Adding to the bureaucracy. Raising taxes. And borrowing money. Suburban Democrats: “It’s what they do.” 

They feel unbeatable, so now it’s time to drop all pretense of bipartisanship and of being “moderates.” Now, it’s all progressive, all the time. After taking over the county — and most local offices, too — Democrats feel empowered. Empowered to be 2025 suburban Democrats. They are the emotional vanguard of today’s Democrat Party. 

Urban Democrats want their real-life, kitchen-table problems solved. Rural Democrats keep wondering where their party went. Suburban Democrat elected officials are the loudest voices for “causes” and virtue signaling: bigger government, a more powerful nanny state — demanding more “shots,” masks and keeping student secrets from parents — and the most extreme positions on men in women’s sports, sexually explicit books in middle school classrooms, and everybody in the same school lockers and bathrooms. They are most likely to chant “defund the police” and oppose school choice (that would mostly help poor families and students of color) because they worship their “public education.” All from the safe confines of suburbia — especially the wealthiest county in our state, Chester.

As our new $200K CXO is about to take office, here’s some free counsel for her. This is how many of us see life, our county and our family budgets. Here’s the “experience” that many  Chester County residents want from county government. 

First, we blissfully live our lives with minimal interaction with county government — we aren’t looking for ways to engage it. 

Second, we expect county government to minimize cost and maximize efficiency like every water ice stand, mechanic shop and pizza parlor — and family — has to do every day.

Third, we expect local government to treat everyone — from the student going to the library, to the developer trying to refurbish a building in Coatesville, to the business manager looking to plan a staff picnic at a county park — with respect. If that’s not happening, you’re unlikely to change that.

Finally, there’s still time to show leadership — and have a teaching moment. Turn down the job and ask that the money go back to taxpayers — or pay our public safety staff more.

For Democrats — especially, suburban Democratic politicians — government is never big enough, never powerful enough and should never stop growing. Their politicians are constantly looking for ways to grow their budgets and raise our taxes, to increase their power and become more involved in our lives, families and livelihoods.

This wasteful, unnecessary, backwards, and upside-down hiring embodies all that is wrong in today’s Democratic Party — from DC to West Chester.

Guy Ciarrocchi, a former Tredyffrin Township Supervisor, writes for RealClear Pennsylvania and Broad + Liberty. Follow Guy at @PaSuburbsGuy.