Don M. Hahn will be the next State College mayor.
After a race that received much attention not only in State College but around the Centre Region, the Democrat won nearly 54 percent of the vote, finishing ahead of small business owner Michael Black, a Democrat who won a spot on the ballot with Republican write-ins in the primary, and retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Ron Madrid, who ran as an independent.
Hahn, 52, an attorney with the State College law firm of Stover, McGlaughlin, Gerace, Weyandt & McCormick, won 2,374 votes to Black’s 1,464 (33.19 percent) and Madrid’s 567 (12.85), with all 19 precincts reporting.
He succeeds Mayor Elizabeth Goreham, who announced in February that she had decided not to seek a third term.
A Centre County native, Hahn, 52, is a graduate of State College Area High School.He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Penn State and a law degree from Villanova University School of Law. He lives in the borough with his wife, Cynthia.
Hahn previously served on borough council for 12 years, including two as council president. His stint on council ended when he decided not to run for re-election in 2013. He also spent four years on the board of the Pennsylvania Municipal League and has been vice president of the State College Redevelopment Authority.
The mayor of State College is elected to a four-year term and is the presiding officer of State College Borough Council. He does not have the right to vote on any matter before council, but approves or vetoes any ordinance of council. The mayor is the ceremonial head and official representative of the borough.
Following is Hahn’s Q&A with StateCollege.com prior to the election
Why are you uniquely qualified to serve as mayor of State College?
As a Centre County native, a Penn State graduate, and a borough home owner, I know that State College is a great place to grow up, to get an education, and to settle down. As mayor, I would work to keep it that way. I have fought to protect neighborhoods, to maintain fiscal balance, and to preserve the environment during my twelve years on State College Borough Council and the Centre Region Council of Governments.
As a mayoral candidate, I have been meeting with State College residents in various ways, discussing growth issues, inclusivity, the environment, entrepreneurship, and maintaining our quality of life. Having served through times of regional borough-township conflicts and NCAA sanctions, I recognize that the key to answering challenges is to trust in the basic goodness within ourselves, to communicate frankly and respectfully, and to look for opportunities to improve.
What do you believe is the best way to address the borough’s slow revenue growth, and what role can the mayor play in addressing the issue?
Strong neighborhoods and stable taxes help maintain property values and attract income-earning families. Our residents receive excellent municipal services at a reasonable cost in part because we partner with our suburban townships in the Centre Region Council of Governments. Regional cooperation helps support Schlow Library, Welch Pool, and Alpha Fire programs.
We face challenges in holding the line on taxes because 40 percent of our property is tax exempt and because the primary occupation of 70 percent of our residents is studying, which generates little earned income revenue. The answer is to continue open communications and creative solutions while working with other urban communities in the Pennsylvania Municipal League (PML). The PML helped pass the Local Services Tax and is lobbying Harrisburg for more taxing options, such as the drink tax. As mayor, I will help influence the legislative process, facilitate participation, and advocate for our community in Harrisburg.
What, if any, steps do you believe the borough needs to take to sustain neighborhoods and why?
State College is a great place to grow up and to settle down because of strong neighborhoods. Good neighborhoods make life enjoyable because they are peaceful, safer, hold property values and attract income-earning families. The mayor must work to protect our neighborhoods because, if we don’t, unchecked development and commercial exploitation could quickly tip us over into financial insolvency.
We have a combination of programs in place to protect neighborhoods and encourage owner occupied housing. Maintaining our R1 and R2 low-density residential zoning districts is essential, aided by ordinance enforcement tools like the Student Housing Ordinance and the three-unrelated occupancy limit. The Permit Suspension Ordinance brings landlords into the dialogue. Owner-occupied housing programs like the First-Time Homebuyer Program, the Community Land Trust, and the Neighborhood Sustainability Program help reverse the growth in rental properties.
While ordinance enforcement is necessary, good neighbor practices can be even more effective.
How can the mayor encourage and foster small, locally-owned business development?
I will continue to advocate in favor of borough support of business incubators, such as the New Leaf Initiative, which began when I was council president. I will also advocate for the removal of business-hostile zoning restrictions currently in the Urban Village. Certainly, West College Avenue is an area where AccuWeather had flourished in the past and where entrepreneurship can flourish in the future in a mixed-use, live-work environment.
Advocating for parking incentives and an increase in parking requirements for downtown residential developments will help accommodate small business employees downtown by helping reduce the demand pressures on public parking. The mayor’s appointment powers over the Redevelopment Authority are another important way to facilitate business development directly and to help advocate for sensible business growth.
How do you view the role of mayor in both borough government and in the community?
I helped to guide the borough through numerous controversies involving neighborhood traffic, zoning, and enforcement, and crises in regional relations during my 12 years on borough council and two years as council president.
Under the Home-Rule Charter, the mayor’s duties include presiding over borough council meetings, signing and vetoing ordinances, and acting as the official representative of State College. As mayor, I will help influence the legislative process, facilitate participation, and advocate for our community in Harrisburg.
This includes encouraging citizen participation in local government on issues such as neighborhood sustainability and fiscal balance; fostering partnerships with Old Main, the student community, downtown businesses, entrepreneurs, and suburban townships through respectful and constructive communications; and advocating for State College in Harrisburg, not only on local tax reform and increased police funding, but also on the environment, education, and diversity. My experience is marked by a desire to be of service.
