Pennsylvania City Bankruptcy Appealed by Mayor, City Council

The elected officials of the City of Chester, Pennsylvania are challenging a court ruling that upheld a state-appointed receiver’s decision to place the distressed city in bankruptcy.

Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland and the town’s five-member council have argued that the city’s Chapter 9 bankruptcy was initiated without proper authority from the elected officials.

The officials filed a notice Tuesday in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, indicating their intent to appeal the court’s March 14 opinion rejecting their motion to dismiss the case.

They contend that the city previously adopted a Home Rule Charter that empowers ...