State College Council expects to hear presentations on Monday from six residents who are seeking to fill the vacancy on the borough’s governing body.
A council position came open in January when member Josh Portney stepped down because he accepted a clerkship with Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Judge Stella Tsai. A third-year Penn State law student, Portney was the youngest member of council.
The borough accepted letters of interest for the position from qualified residents (registered voters living within the borough, per the home-rule charter) through Jan. 30. According to the borough website, eligible candidates who submitted applications are:
- Kory Blose
- Cynthia Carpenter
- Deeya Kochhar
- Emmanuel Kraft
- Nathan Romig
- Susan Venegoni
A seventh resident submitted his name for consideration but is not a registered voter and therefore not eligible, Borough Manager Tom Fountaine said at council’s Feb. 2 meeting.
The person selected will serve the remainder of Portney’s elected term expiring Dec. 31, 2027.
Council’s six sitting members at the Feb. 2 meeting confirmed the process for filling the vacancy, one similar to those used to fill other vacancies in recent years.
Candidates will be allotted 10 minutes for their presentations as this first order of business, following two commission reports, at Monday night’s meeting. Each candidate was provided with a list of 23 questions submitted by council members and the public and can choose the ones they wish to address in their presentations.
Council members then will each be able to make a nomination in an order determined by drawing, except in the case of council President Evan Myers, who said he will go last because he will be presiding over the process.
Nominees will be voted on in that order. The first nominee to receive a majority of four yes votes will win the nomination and no further votes will be taken.
If no candidate receives a majority vote after the first round, the process will repeat. Council also will have the option of continuing the meeting to Tuesday night, though members generally agreed they preferred to make the selection on Monday.
Candidates will not be asked questions during or after their presentations and council members will not discuss any of them prior to voting.
“I think this is a small town and people have long memories, and it doesn’t behoove any of us to have comments on the record about one candidate over another,” said Councilman John Hayes, who was previously appointed to fill a vacancy in 2024 before winning an elected term in November.
Mayor Ezra Nanes, who will not have a vote, agreed.
“You’re talking about actual people,” Nanes said. “It’s not an ordinance. It’s a little more sensitive. I have no doubt we could have a respectful discussion but it’s hard to talk about human beings and who you are going to pick among them.”
Council has until Feb. 27, 45 days from the date of Portney’s resignation, to fill the vacancy. If no candidate is appointed by then, the Centre County Court of Common Pleas can be petitioned to make the appointment.
Monday’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. in council chambers at the State College Municipal Building, 243 S. Allen St. It can also be viewed on Zoom, C-NET cable channel 7 and streaming on the C-NET website.
