Michelle Kichline, the newly appointed chair of the Board of Chester County Commissioners, is planning to make balancing the preservation and economic progress in the county’s rustic municipalities her immediate priority, writes Holly Herman for the Reading Eagle.

“How do you keep the natural beauty of Chester County while increasing economic development?” asked Kichline. “How do you prevent our children from dying of opiate addiction?”

Kichline was first appointed Commissioner three years ago to replace Ryan Costello following his election to Congress. After winning her first term in November 2015, she was selected for the position of chairwoman earlier this month.

On Kichline’s list of priorities are further efforts to help prevent drug-overdose deaths. She noted that too many people, some of whom she knows well, are being hospitalized for overdoses. She then pointed out that there were 63 accidental overdose deaths in the county in 2015, 56 of them involving opiates.

Costello believes Kichline has the ideal skill set for the post.

“She is very hard working and very intelligent,” he said. “She has a strong legal background, and she grew up in Chester County.”

Read more about Michelle Kichline’s plans in the Reading Eagle here.