Retiring Borough Employee Kevin Kassab to Run for State College Council

A longtime State College government employee who is retiring next month is planning to run for borough council this year.

Kevin Kassab is retiring in March after 34 years of working for the borough, first as a health technician and health officer and now his current role as manager of the Office of Community Engagement.

A veteran who served four years in the U.S. Navy, Kassab said that through his decades of work in the borough he took great pride in serving long-term and student residents of State College, maintained positive connections with the Penn State administration and built the tools for improving town-gown relations through his interactions with university students, including international students, and student organizations.

“I would be so honored to win the confidence of my community and be chosen to serve the Borough of State College as a member of Council,” he said in a news release on Thursday.

He pointed to a number of experiences with various aspects of the community in his work, including the Community Diversity Group, the LGBTQ+ community and social service agencies.

Kassab was instrumental in working with the borough’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board on raising the State College Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index score, from 72% to 100% for the past four years, making it one of only four municipalities in Pennsylvania with a perfect score. He also assisted with Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration events and the planning of the MLK Plaza in downtown State College.

Most importantly, he said, his work with the Coalition of Neighborhood Associations gives him “firsthand knowledge of key issues and experience balancing interests along with coordinating the borough’s many administrative arms towards implementing key solutions.”

Kassab said he wants to use the skills built during his work with the Office of Community Engagement in service on council.

His platform includes a focus on continued work toward sustainability, including supporting bike safety and creating more bike paths; working with local businesses and the Downtown State College Improvement District to bring more visitors and residents downtown; and encouraging affordable housing efforts.

He said he is “confident that a comprehensive model of leading by example, listening, educating and advocating can lead to positive and effective changes for everyone.”

Kassab has a life partner, two daughters and seven grandchildren, who have “fed his passion for a positive future and legacy as a progressive leader and change-maker.”

He is the fifth candidate to announce a run for five borough council seats up for election this year. He joins former council member Evan Myers, planning commission member Josh Portney and transportation commission member Matt Herndon in running for the four four-year terms that will be on the ballot.

Current Council Member Nalini Krishnankutty is running for a new two-year term to retain her seat after being appointed last year to fill a vacancy.

The other four council seats up for election this year are currently held by Jesse Barlow, Deanna Behring, Janet Engeman and Peter Marshall. Barlow and Engeman are term limited and cannot run this year. Behring and Marshall have not yet announced if they intend to seek reelection.

The municipal primary election is slated for May 16. Candidates can circulate and file nomination petitions starting on Feb. 14.