STATE COLLEGE — John Hayes was selected on Monday, May 20, to fill the remainder of a former council member’s term.
After Devine Lipscomb stepped down, with his resignation effective Sunday, May 12, the State College Borough Council had announced they would begin the process of selecting a member to serve out the rest of Lipscomb’s term.
Council was given 45 days to appoint a new member, before the decision would be passed to the Centre County Court of Common Pleas.
Council announced interested parties could submit a letter of interest to the council, from which four valid candidates were selected. John Hayes, Nathan Romig, Tony Sapia and Tyler Thompson made public presentations before the council during their meeting on Monday, May 13.
Hayes is a State College resident of 15 years and food science professor at Penn State University who serves on the State College Transportation Commission. In his initial letter of interest, Hayes shared that one of his primary motivations for seeking a council position is his interest in urban planning and rewriting local zoning regulations.
“By serving on Council, I hope to facilitate the continued prosperity and well-being of our region, ensuring it remains a vibrant and welcoming place for long term residents, new arrivals, Penn State students and returning alumni,” Hayes shared in his letter of interest. “As our community continues to evolve, it is crucial that we view development with a holistic and forward-thinking approach, that meets the needs of both long-term residents and transient students who come to Happy Valley during a formative period of their lives. I am passionate about ensuring that we grow in ways that are sustainable and equitable, while meeting the needs of all residents.”
During his presentation before the council, Hayes spoke more about his motivation to assist in the improvement of the day-to-day life of Centre County residents.
“My central motivation for applying for this open position on council is my strong interest in planning and transportation and, more critically, the way these decisions impact the daily quality of life for residents and potential residents of our community,” Hayes said during his presentation.
Citing data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve, Hayes said there is a housing affordability crisis locally and nationally that can be attributed to the underproduction of housing over the last 15 years. For that reason, he said, Hayes was “generally supportive” of the growth in high-rise development over the past decade in downtown State College, noting that a community cannot “stay trapped in amber and still prosper.”
“But I also believe substantial mistakes were made in terms of misaligned incentives that led to unintended and undesirable consequences, such as one-and-a-half super Walmarts’ worth of unfilled commercial space downtown,” Hayes said. “This is why I support efforts for a comprehensive rewrite of our zoning in the borough. Such a rewrite is long overdue, as continuing to patch a zoning code introduced during the Eisenhower administration will not and cannot meet our long-term needs for the future.”
To determine the nominee, council members’ names were drawn at random to make their nomination during the meeting on Monday, May 20. Hayes was nominated by Nalini Krishnankutty, who drew second. Council member Kevin Kassab drew first and was the sole council member to nominate and vote for Romig. Alongside Krishnankutty, Gopal Balachandran, Matt Herndon and Josh Portney voted to appoint Hayes, making him the majority nominee.
Hayes will be sworn in during the council’s meeting on Monday, June 3, and will serve out the rest of Lipscomb’s term.
Geoff Rushton contributed to this report.
