STATE COLLEGE — Nalini Krishnankutty announced her reelection campaign for a new four-year term on the Borough Council in a statement on Thursday, Feb. 13.
“It has been an incredible honor to serve as a council member for the last two and a half years, in this community which has been my home for the last 37 years,” Krishnankutty said. “I am seeking re-election to continue working with our residents and local governments to maintain our high quality of life and services, increase access to resources for all residents and ensure our sustainable growth in the future.”
Krishnankutty, a Democrat, was first appointed to State College Borough Council in June 2022, filling the term of then-council member Richard Biever. The following year, she was elected for a two-year term.
In a statement, Krishnankutty noted that “her balanced, analytical and inclusive approach are assets in solving pressing issues for residents.”
“We have an opportunity to enhance the vibrancy of State College and ensure that it continues to be a great place for all our residents, amidst the reality of being a university town with a steady stream of out-of-town visitors throughout the year,” she said. “As we focus on revising zoning, we must be committed to sustainability, find new revenue streams, preserve our strong neighborhoods, support local businesses and increase attainable housing for residents, amidst the realities of strong market demands for student housing here.”
During her time on council, Krishnankutty “has been working to increase participation in authorities, boards and commissions, where residents share their expertise and experience to inform policy and procedures and increase transparency, accountability and well-being,” the statement shared.
Pulling from her experience working as the inaugural elected chair of the Community Oversite Board from December 2021 through June 2022, Krishnankutty also emphasized the impact the COB has on the community.
“COB reports have confirmed that State College police department is a stellar police department, and SCPD and COB have been working together to make it even better,” Krishnankutty shared. “For example, thanks to COB’s initiative, SCPD first partnered with the Center for Policing Equity in 2022 to improve some aspects of data collection, and now SCPD is furthering those efforts of their own accord.”
Krishnankutty has also worked at the regional level, serving as the Borough’s representative to the Council of Government’s Finance Committee for the past three years. Along with this, she was elected as vice chair of this committee for 2024 and 2025. In the role, she noted she focuses on high-quality libraries, parks, recreation, regional planning, safety services and code enforcement.
A primary election for the three council seats up for reelection this year will be on Tuesday, May 20.
