City of Chester elects sister of ejected councilman to fill his seat
Robbie King-Boyd, 53, was elected Tuesday in a special election to fill the vacant Chester City Council Ward IV seat. She received 257 votes, besting competitor Bernard “Harvey” Heath by just 11 votes.
The Ward IV seat was left vacant in August after councilman William R. King was ordered to forfeit his seat.
King-Boyd is King’s sister, city officials confirmed. Records obtained by the Herald show that they have listed the same home address.
Court records show that King was found guilty 27 times for fraudulent checks between 1999 and 2004. This crime is classified as forgery less than $10,000, a class-F felony under state law.
King was sued by the nonprofit Chester Citizens for Ethical Government in 2018. He had been found guilty of a felony in 2004 but was pardoned in 2018 after his election in 2017.
Judge William A. McKinnon ruled in the suit that King “was not qualified to be a candidate for city council at the time he was elected and he, therefore, must forfeit his office,” court records show.
The totals for the election were, from least to greatest: Brice (151), Nelson (205), Dickerson (235), Heath (246), and King-Boyd (257).
Who is Robbie King-Boyd?
King-Boyd, 53, works at Chris King Memorial Chapel in Chester.
King-Boyd told the Herald that she believes the city’s social and economic infrastructure is the greatest issue facing Ward IV.
“We need to improve the social and economic infrastructure by providing incentives for new businesses opening and operating in the City of Chester,” she said.
She hopes to aid in providing Chester’s citizens with affordable housing, utilities and broadband access.
She said recreation and education are also important for all citizens, including seniors, adults, young adults and youth.
King-Boyd hopes for better partnerships with the City of Chester and existing businesses to establish safe locations to provide recreation and education to create a thriving city.
“My vision for the city is to work with college, local business and other elected officials on the local, state and federal levels to provide education, which will include technology centers, mentoring programs and job training,” she said.
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 12:44 PM.
