For State College Council, Two Incumbents, Two Challengers Clinch Nominations

Incumbents Jim Rosenberger and Peter Morris, along with challengers Cathy Dauler and Sarah Klinetob, appeared to win Democratic nominations Tuesday in the State College Borough Council primary race.

Five Democrats competed for four available party nominations in the 2011 primary race. Incumbent Theresa Lafer, a one-term council member who was positioned last on Tuesday’s ballot, appears to have lost her reelection bid; she secured 732 votes, according to a preliminary count.

Among the apparent nominees, newcomer Klinetob tallied the most votes — that is, 943 — an unofficial count showed. Dauler won 840; Morris, 802; and Rosenberger, also 802, according to the same count.

If those results are verified, all four will be on the general-election ballot in November.

Klinetob could not be reached immediately late Tuesday night. But Dauler, who apparently won the second-most votes, did speak with a reporter.

‘I think my concern with quality-of-life issues resonates with many voters,’ she said late Tuesday night.

She will continue to campaign strongly in advance of the November general election, Dauler said. ‘I think it will be a good opportunity to continue having dialogue and discussion and hear what the other candidates feel are important issues.’

A former two-term council member, Dauler said she expects those upcoming conversations will include a focus on budgetary issues and neighborhood preservation.

No State College Republicans filed to appear as council candidates for their party’s primary ballot. It was not immediately clear late Tuesday whether any borough Republicans garnered enough write-in votes to secure positions on the November general-election ballot.

State College Borough Council counts seven members in all. Members are unpaid and serve four-year terms.

A fourth incumbent whose term will expire in January 2012 — Silvi Lawrence — has declined to run for reelection.

Related coverage

• StateCollege.com’s politics page