With Elizabeth Goreham choosing not to seek a third term in office, the Borough of State College will have a new mayor come January 2018.
In Tuesday’s primary election four candidates will be seeking the Democratic nomination. No candidate is on the Republican ballot.
The mayor of State College is elected to a four-year term and is the presiding officer of State College Borough Council. He or she 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
Each of the four candidates responded to six questions posed by StateCollege.com. The candidates, in the order they appear on the ballot, and their answers are presented below.
Engeman is a current member of State College Borough Council. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Lock Haven.
Why are you running for mayor?
I am running for mayor because I have a life-long commitment to State College and believe that my skills and personality would serve it well as an ambassador to the community. The role of the mayor is limited to three responsibilities: conducting Borough Council meetings, on extremely rare occasions using veto power on legislation, and being the “face of the town.” It is this final capacity that I feel I am the best candidate to fill. I am no longer working, so my time is free, I have a unique picture of the community since I was born and raised here, and I am blessed with the ability to reach out and communicate effectively with all types of people.
What are your qualifications for serving as mayor?
I am qualified to serve as mayor, because: I have an intimate knowledge of the community, having grown up here watched it develop and grow over many decades. After graduating from State High and leaving for college, I worked as a labor market analyst, did social policy research, and a was a manager in the computer software industry. This experience provided me with a professional background in economics and social policy, skills in making presentations to large and small groups, and engaging people in ideas and processes. Since my return to State College I have been active in organizations engaged in a variety of social and environmental issues. I believe my broad background professionally and socially gives me a unique combination of attributes that equip me well to serve as mayor of State College.
What kind of growth would you like to see in the borough in the coming years?
State College occupies a mere four square miles, and aside from University land, has limited room for expansion, so growth must be in the form of creative reuse of what is already here. I would like to see development of more affordable housing, and encouragement of new start-up businesses while preserving the character of the town, architecturally and environmentally.
There must be a delicate balance to achieve this. The imminent zoning rewrite can produce opportunities for permitting more creative use of existing housing and business properties. Most importantly we must work with the University to stem the increase in large buildings designed only as off-campus dorms for the housing of students. We need new properties to be required to be designed for mixed use that includes retail businesses, office space, and housing suited for families and retirees in addition to students.,
How will you manage relations between Penn State and its students and borough government?
Students provide an untapped resource for the community, and I would look to develop processes to provide and encourage cooperative engagement. Unfortunately there is often a hostile and confrontational attitude on both the part of the students and the townspeople. The student group BugPAC’s mantra of “Reclaim State College” is symptomatic of this kind of attitude.
I would encourage constructive cooperation, not an adversarial stance, by meeting with groups of students to share our common concerns. We currently have an UPUA non-voting representative who attends Borough Council Meetings, and this is one step in the right direction. I am supporting an undergraduate student who is running for Borough Council. All students can attend all open borough meeting, but usually only attend as class exercises. I would encourage students to attend and participate in borough meetings, and apply for openings on the ABCs that help direct the management of the borough.
Do you believe affordable housing initiatives are important to the borough? If so, what can the mayor do to advocate for them? If not, why not?
Affordable housing is critical to the well-being of the borough. Unfortunately there is little the mayor can do directly to affect the development of affordable housing. I believe current affordable housing initiatives do not go far enough to address the problem.
As mayor I would meet with the parties who can influence the creation of affordable housing, and encourage them to include it in their planning for housing development in the borough.
What issues will be the major priorities for you as mayor?
Issues that I believe should be priorities for me should be to use my influence as mayor to improve town -gown relationships and attitudes, support positive development of housing and businesses, encourage the environmental responsibility and sustainability of the community, and to promote State College as a vibrant and desirable community in which to to live, work, start a business and grow a family.
Hahn is an attorney and former member of State College Borough Council. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State and law degree from Villanova.
Why are you running for mayor?
At a time when diversity, the environment, and education are under unprecedented attack in Washington, our next mayor must be ready to redefine the role of the office. Our community needs an advocate who is not afraid to become political. The next mayor must be ready to challenge Harrisburg and Washington when it decreases the quality of services for its citizens for the sake of lower taxes, when it micromanages local governments at a time when innovation and creativity are needed, and when it lowers its commitment to the environment in the face of climate change.
State College is a community with tremendous good will. However, we cannot afford to be complacent in our comfortable isolation. State College needs to promote the value and advantages of progressive good government nationally and statewide. I am ready and able to represent State College as its mayor and to advocate for its values.
What are your qualifications for serving as mayor?
If this year has taught us anything, it is that experience matters. I have served 12 years on State College Borough Council, two years as council president, four years on the board of the Pennsylvania Municipal League, and one year as president of the Middle District Bankruptcy Bar Association. I am currently serving as vice chair of the State College Redevelopment Authority.
Experience matters not only in getting things done, but also in deciding what needs to be done. It involves knowledge and an appropriate amount of respect for what has already been accomplished in order to determine what needs to be fixed. As a Centre County native, a Penn State alumnus, and a State College homeowner, I know that our community is a wonderful place in which to grow up, to go to school, and to raise a family. As mayor, I will work to keep it that way.
What kind of growth would you like to see in the borough in the coming years?
State College is a great place to live. However, occupying only four square miles, the borough already has a higher population density than Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and almost all other Pennsylvania cities. This is because the state legislature has failed to enact reasonable municipal consolidation laws since the 1968 constitution. The next mayor must be prepared to act statewide to work with our representatives and the Pennsylvania Municipal League to enact long overdue laws which would facilitate municipal consolidation and regional cooperation. Until then, sustainability, rather than growth, should be the borough’s primary focus.
In order to maintain our quality of life and our tax base, we need to preserve our neighborhoods. Prudent zoning is an important tool to manage parking supply issues and encourage affordable housing and environmentally responsible architecture. Niche growth should also be encouraged, such as international graduate student housing and new entrepreneurial businesses along West College Avenue.
How will you manage relations between Penn State and its students and borough government?
Penn State and State College have many mutual interests. Penn State University is an excellent employment and education center. State College has been a great place for Penn State students to learn, for its professors, administrators, and staff to work, and for its alumni to visit. However, the steady growth in Penn State enrollment brings constant pressure to our community. Rental costs increase for Penn State students, and pressures upon our neighborhoods mount. These factors threaten to undermine the very attractiveness of Penn State and State College as a great learning environment.
The university and the borough need to plan their mutual growth responsibly and sustainably. Frequent, frank, and respectful communications between Penn State and State College are essential. People of good will from both sides need to communicate with each other to produce solutions and to prevent the inevitable problems from becoming mutually self-destructive crises.
Do you believe affordable housing initiatives are important to the borough? If so, what can the mayor do to advocate for them? If not, why not?
Yes. On Borough Council, I am proud to have voted for the zoning requirement that any new multi-unit residential construction provide for affordable housing. I also served on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Citizens Advisory Committee, which reviews grants which assist low-to-moderate income neighborhoods, and the inaugural board of the State College Community Land Trust (SCCLT), which helps middle-income families buy homes in the borough. In the early years, we relied heavily upon the land trust model established in Burlington, Vermont, under their innovative Mayor Bernie Sanders.
Unfortunately, CDBG funding is currently under attack in Washington, and the SCCLT is heavily dependent upon such funding. In order to advocate for affordable housing, the next mayor must be prepared to act nationally to defend CDBG funding, to build alliances with other mayors, and to impress upon our own representatives the importance of affordable housing and CDBG funding to our community.
What issues will be the major priorities for you as mayor?
Neighborhood sustainability. State College is a great town. However, the borough needs to protect its neighborhoods through a combination of zoning protection, ordinance enforcement, and owner-occupied housing initiatives.
Fiscal Balance. Our experienced and professional staff provides the borough with high-quality municipal services. However, State College must also be cognizant of the need to keep costs reasonable.
Inclusion. Now more than ever, State College needs to encourage the best and brightest minds from around the world to come to teach and to study at Penn State.
Environment. State College Borough has an excellent environmental record. As mayor, I want to mobilize the community so that our voices will be heard nationally and statewide.
Progress and Change in Harrisburg. State College is a model of municipal innovation and regional cooperation. The borough should take more of a leadership role in promoting the value and advantages of progressive, bipartisan good government statewide.
Black is creative director, photographer, designer and owner of Black Sun Studio, L.L.C. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Springfield College and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
I want to be your mayor because I want to give back to the community that has given me and my family so much. After the 2016 election many folks, myself included, were left disillusioned with politics in general. It forced me to revisit how I wish to continue to contribute to the town I love. With my 25 years of academic, family, small business and community service relationship experience, it’s the RIGHT TIME with the RIGHT PEOPLE for the RIGHT REASONS.
As a resident, I see the importance of protecting, preserving and enhancing our neighborhoods and green spaces. I’ve successfully grown a small business and I want to help others do the same. As a former student, I understand the importance of community relations and will be a champion for inclusivity.
What are your qualifications for serving as mayor?
I started here as a graduate student in 1991, coming from a career in student affairs of educational programing, counseling and judicial services. I have sound administrative skills. I’ve been a resident and homeowner in the borough for 25 years. I’m a 100 percent borough family guy — from the engagement and wedding with my wife, Tonya, to the birth of our son, Lake, who is currently attending the Delta School in the borough. I put in the sweat as small business owner here and purposefully built a business that I can walk to and one that has attracted other like businesses.
Many know me as a creative guy and community servant. That’s nice recognition for someone on several non-for profit boards and in the trenches daily elevating arts and culture, creating opportunities for young professionals and cultivating socially minded leaders. But I am also disciplined in business and one who balances pragmatism when making decisions and creativity when employing my visionary self.
What kind of growth would you like to see in the borough in the coming years?
State College has enjoyed steady growth since our founding. During the last 20 years, State College has experienced another surge in population growth, putting pressure on our open spaces, existing buildings, utilities and basic infrastructure. We are seeing local and national interest piqued in development and business opportunities as we’ve been identified as the fastest growing metro area in the state. This presents a challenge, but also a great opportunity.
State College residents value a walkable and an easily accessible village lifestyle. We live in a wonderfully diverse community filled with the young energy of students, the buzz of healthy families and the seasoned wisdom of elder residents.
We should enhance and protect our charm while leveraging it to increase innovative economic opportunities, increased housing for young professionals and diverse cultural experiences. We should carefully plan and invest in our residential, commercial, and student centers that will allow a thriving business economy, energized campus and protected neighborhoods.
How will you manage relations between Penn State and its students and borough government?
It should be noted that both the borough and the university are independent entities and permitted to make autonomous decisions. However, the dynamic is one as such that when alignment of goals, activities and talent occurs both the borough and the university’s best interests are protected. As your mayor I will work tirelessly to facilitate open and transparent conversations of partnerships between the borough and the university. But we need to start with respect of people and process. We must be respectful. We need to clearly identify goals and expectations, one of which has to be listening to all voices of the community. We can plan then we can work the plan. Of course we can evaluate our performance so we can continually make improvements.
Do you believe affordable housing initiatives are important to the borough? If so, what can the mayor do to advocate for them? If not, why not?
Affordable housing initiatives are imperative to the borough. Again, we are a wonderfully diverse community and partly because of our mixed neighborhoods. We can work to create new spaces from existing building stock with local landlords, developers and stakeholders. We have working examples in place that are national exemplars of affordable professional housing and creative communities.
We can build upon what we’ve done well, empower those who are experts living among us and ally with our local, state and federal partners for financial support. We can work together to attract and retain young professionals who wish to live and work downtown. As mayor with university housing and small develop experience, I can help guide this process.
What issues will be the major priorities for you as mayor?
Dauler is a teacher and current State College Borough Council member. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Marietta College and a master of education degree from Lesley University.
Why are you running for mayor?
Public service has been a great joy for me, confirming what I knew all along: local government is important and essential for building communities, helping us share in common causes, transcending our differences, for a better life for us all.
The decision to run for mayor is a logical extension of my 14 years as a council member. I think my experience and the opportunity to observe the mayor at work in council meetings, speaking at special events and working with borough staff gives me a clear understanding of what the job entails.
What are your qualifications for serving as mayor?
As a resident of 35 years and past president of College Heights Association and former member of the Coalition of Neighborhoods, I have an appreciation for the efforts of residents who advocate for the preservation of our neighborhoods, schools and the historic fabric of our community.
My involvement as a council representative to the Downtown Improvement District has provided me with valuable insights into the efforts of talented leaders to enhance our downtown.
My participation in the Pennsylvania Municipal League and the National League of Cities as a policy committee member have afforded opportunities to advocate in with other municipal leaders from around the country on topics that affect us all.
These experiences have provided me with a valuable education in what it means to me a public servant.
What kind of growth would you like to see in the borough in the coming years?
The pressure of development is one of the greatest challenges we face. Maintaining the quality of life we value and sustaining our tax base requires preserving our neighborhoods, encouraging home ownership and assuring a vitality of the downtown. All must be considered in a comprehensive zoning rewrite. It is incumbent on us all to participate in this great act of civic engagement so that future growth will create a truly livable and sustainable municipality.
How will you manage relations between Penn State and its students and borough government?
My experience as a member of the National League of Cities University Community Council has provided opportunities to hear about the challenges other communities face when they have a college or university as a neighbor. On balance, State College benefits from a good working relationship with the university administration. There is dialogue and an effort to work together on issues that affect us all.
Students now have a representative to borough council. That creates an excellent opportunity to foster better communication. While some issues may take time to resolve, students have a better understanding of how local government works and that many of the challenges the community faces do benefit from student involvement in a solution.
I will continue to advocate for all residents and to encourage good strategic decisions shared in partnership with Penn State and local businesses.
Do you believe affordable housing initiatives are important to the borough? If so, what can the mayor do to advocate for them? If not, why not?
Yes, affordable housing initiatives are important! I have served as a board member of the State College Land Trust and will continue to advocate for it as well as the borough’s First Time Homebuyer Program and Housing Transitions. The Land Trust has provided 20 years of affordable housing buyers by sharing the cost of the home. The buyer purchases the house while the Land Trust buys the land, reducing the overall cost to as much as 30 percent.
The First Time Homebuyer program offers mortgage and closing cost assistance to both moderate and lower income families. Housing Transitions, Inc. in partnership with the borough is able to assist qualified families with renovations and free homebuyer education and budget counseling.
What issues will be the major priorities for you as mayor?
I will continue to advocate for strong neighborhoods, schools and community values for all our residents, a vibrant downtown that provides a valuable urban core for the Centre Region, and strategic decisions shared in partnership with Penn State to shape a promising future. As your mayor, I pledge to promote civility, transparency, equity and inclusion in all aspects of civic life.
