Mayor Ron Filippelli clarifies comments about diversity, race on future State College board
State College mayor Ron Filippelli said he was taken out of context Friday when some community members and political candidates accused him of implying a potential borough board should be whiter to better reflect the area’s makeup.
During a council work session Friday afternoon, Filippelli awaited his turn to speak while Borough Council discussed the diversity of the Community Oversight Board, a group currently being formed to help oversee the State College Police Department. As council members debated the makeup of the nine-person board, and what underrepresented groups should be considered for a seat at the proverbial table, the mayor asked to share his opinion during the virtual, public meeting.
“The fact is that the vast majority of the residents of the three municipalities that are policed by the State College police force are these white, middle-class people who have probably not had interactions with the police force,” Filippelli said Friday. “So we need to think about, this is a group that’s going to represent the community — and it ought to be representative of the community. Not representative of a subset of the community that has a certain particular — and understandable — history with police and law enforcement.
“I think that’s a big issue. If the community is going to respect this board, it ought to reflect, in my opinion, the community it’s supposed to be representing.”
Councilman Evan Myers referred to there being “a little bit of tone deafness here” immediately after the mayor finished speaking. Councilwoman Deanna Behring later wrote in a public Facebook post that she was pounding her fist on her desk “about all this.” Another council member told the CDT they supported the mayor — but acknowledged his statement was clumsily worded.
In a written statement to the CDT — the full text of which can be found at the bottom of this article — Filippelli admitted he expressed himself “in less than articulate fashion.”
“I pointed out that the vast majority of the citizens of those three municipalities (State College, College Township, Harris Township) are overwhelmingly white middle-class citizens who likely have had little or no direct interaction with the police. This is undeniable,” the mayor wrote Saturday. “I did not mean that the oversight committee should be made up only of that demographic, or even a majority of the committee, but that that demographic should be represented.
“During the discussion prior to my comments, the Council was engaged in creating a long list of characteristics that the members of the committee should have. They are largely based on race, sexual orientation, gender and the like. I have no problem with that, but many good citizens don’t fall into those categories. That was the context of my comments.”
On a written list of the board member qualifications, which have not yet been adopted, four points were included — living (or potentially working) in the police service area, being open minded and impartial, completing all required training, and reflecting the broadest possible diversity. Filippelli’s concern came on the last point, feeling that left out many in a borough that is 83.2% white, based on the 2010 census.
The Centre Daily Times reached out to all seven council members for comment and received six responses on the record. (The entirety of those can also be found at the bottom of this article.) Three said they were in support of the mayor; three were not.
“I do not support what the mayor said,” Myers said. “I do not know what he meant, but I will say that without the right structure and the right representation, such a board will be worthless. The board must represent marginalized groups and have the clout to investigate complaints.”
Said Councilman Peter Marshall: “I worked with Ron Filippelli during my 17 years as the State College borough manager. I have worked with him during his service as mayor. There is no one that I know who is more progressive, more fair-minded and more respectful of everyone, regardless of their differences, than Ron Filippelli. He does not judge individuals because of their differences.”
Filippelli’s statement came at a tense time for the borough. Former Councilman Dan Murphy formally introduced the idea of the oversight board last summer, with overwhelming council support in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by Minneapolis police. The borough is also entangled in a lawsuit from the family of Osaze Osagie, a Black State College man who was fatally shot by police in 2019. (A recent amended lawsuit contends the officer who shot Osagie was not fit for duty at the time of the shooting, and was only days removed from rehab.)
Several community members immediately took to Facebook on Friday to air their concerns, with several council candidates — all from the PA United Political Action Committee — chiming in. Filippelli is one of six Democratic council candidates running in Tuesday’s primary election and does not belong to the PAC.
“I willingly stand on my long record of support for equal rights and justice for all people, period,” Filippelli added Saturday. “My many friends in the community will attest to that. My job as mayor is to represent all of the citizens.”
A study committee on the Community Oversight Board was formed last July, to research and discuss how State College’s might best work — soliciting input from the public before compiling a 62-page report for Council. (The Community Oversight Board itself has not yet been formed, but that’s expected to change by October.)
Mark Bergstrom, a Penn State teaching professor and State College Police Civil Service Commission chairman, was tapped to lead the study committee. He was on-hand for Friday afternoon’s meeting.
He did not volunteer his opinion on the Filippelli matter but told the CDT his nine-person study committee felt strongly about making sure the eventual Community Oversight Board, or COB, was diverse.
“I believe the study committee emphasized diversity in membership because a primary goal of the COB is to improve public trust in the (police) department, so involving individuals who feel marginalized or have expressed concerns are at the core of efforts to build trust,” Bergstrom wrote. “The COB provides one avenue for members to work directly with the (police) department, for both to better understand the issues and concerns faced by the other, and to work through solutions.“
Part of the reason for the prolonged process in the board’s creation — besides the pandemic — has been navigating legal and operational complexities, especially considering only 67 such committees exist nationwide along with two in Pennsylvania, in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Different boards have different focuses — investigation, review and auditor/monitor — while State College seems primed to adopt a more mixed approach, with the goal of increasing police transparency and making residents and visitors more comfortable in sharing feedback and concerns.
The next council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. June 7.
Full Filippelli transcript
Filippelli intended to address a board member qualification Friday that that read, “Members selected should reflect the broadest possible diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, LGBTQ identity, history of incarceration, immigration, or citizenship status with particular attention to categories of people who have suffered past institutional discrimination.”
Here is a full transcript of what the mayor said:
This is getting to be such a laundry list. I mean, we could add another 20 categories. Try union members; they’ve been discriminated against historically. We could go through working-class white people. To me, I think we all understand what we’re trying to do here. And to try to list every organization or every ethnic group, every religious group, every racial minority is, I don’t know. To me, it just seems strange.
But I would say this: Nobody has said this yet, but a board made up of all these people in the way it’s worded here, for example, with particular attention to the categories of people who have suffered past institutional discrimination. If [we do] this, this is not going to represent this community. This community of people who are policed by our police forces, unfortunately, I think in a lot of cases, we know that it is not made up in the majority by all of the groups that are listed here. The fact is that the vast majority of the residents of the three municipalities that are policed by the State College police force are these white, middle-class people who have probably not had interactions with the police force. So we need to think about, this is a group that’s going to represent the community — and it ought to be representative of the community. Not representative of a subset of the community that has a certain particular — and understandable — history with police and law enforcement.
I think that’s a big issue. If the community is going to respect this board, it ought to reflect, in my opinion, the community it’s supposed to be representing.
Full Filippelli statement
The CDT reached out to Filippelli for comment Saturday, and the mayor responded with a written statement later that day. Here it is in full:
During the discussion on the makeup of the Police Oversight Board at Friday’s Council work session I, said, and meant to say, obviously in a less than articulate fashion, the following:
That the Police Oversight Committee should be representative of the community that it represents, which is made up of the Borough, College Township and Harris Township. I pointed out that the vast majority of the citizens of those three municipalities are overwhelmingly white middle-class citizens who likely have had little or no direct interaction with the police. This is undeniable. I did not mean that the oversight committee should be made up only of that demographic, or even a majority of the committee, but that that demographic should be represented. During the discussion prior to my comments, the Council was engaged in creating a long list of characteristics that the members of the committee should have. They are largely based on race, sexual orientation, gender and the like. I have no problem with that, but many good citizens don’t fall into those categories. That was the context of my comments.
In my opinion if the oversight committee is to be respected by the community, it should reflect the entire community’s diversity, including diversity of thought on the issues. It is also a committee that is going to have considerable interaction with the police department. That means that the police should not see it as an enemy, but as a true reflection of the people whom they police. They should have confidence that the decisions and recommendations made by the committee are fair and evidence-based. If they do not, the community will suffer.
I do not retract any of those statements. I wish I had perhaps been clearer. They have been taken out of context to imply that I had motivations that I did not have. I willingly stand on my long record of support for equal rights and justice for all people, period. My many friends in the community will attest to that. My job as mayor is to represent all of the citizens.
Statements from Borough Council
The CDT reached out to all seven borough council members through their official emails Saturday morning and gave each the opportunity to address this issue on the record. Six responded by Sunday afternoon; this is what they wrote and/or said:
Jesse Barlow: “I completely disagree with his sentiment at the meeting. Striving for representation from marginalized groups is a priority for us.”
Deanna Behring: “I think there are two fundamental problems with Mayor Filippelli’s statement. One is the driving force for creating a Community Oversight Board is to foster institutional change, and I think what people need to realize is that this doesn’t happen unless you open the door for diversity to walk through. Those who’ve already been at the table need to open the door for the new voices to come in. And I think that’s what we have to do here.
“The second point is that — and as I told Mayor Filippelli at the work session — is that we have to change the narrative he set out. We have to set this board up for success, and shame on us for saying it’s not going to be successful if it doesn’t look like our majority white community. We must change that narrative; the Community Oversight Board is going to be made of new, diverse perspectives, and it will be successful with the full support of the council.”
Janet Engeman: “I think we all believe diversity is necessary on the COB since diverse people will be addressing their concerns to it.”
Theresa Lafer: “The Community Oversight Board (COB) is designed to be inclusive of all, including the smallest or least visible social groups within our community. Its most important function is to give a formal, public voice to the most silenced. That means that every marginalized group should have equal access to a seat at the table; and that every citizen know they have direct access (openly or anonymously) to the COB itself with problems, complaints, even thanks if warranted.”
Peter Marshall: “I worked with Ron Filippelli during my 17 years as the State College borough manager. I have worked with him during his service as mayor. There is no one that I know who is more progressive, more fair-minded and more respectful of everyone, regardless of their differences, than Ron Filippelli. He does not judge individuals because of their differences.
“Ron was commenting on a discussion that Council was having regarding the makeup of the proposed police oversight committee. The Council was arguing over the categories of people who should make up this committee. The Council members were deciding if one member should be a person who has committed crimes and served time in prison; whether one member should be of the Muslim faith or the Jewish faith; whether one member should special knowledge of the police service, and so on. Listening to the discussion, you might conclude that the only people that fit into certain specific categories should serve on the committee.
“Ron spoke up to say that the committee members should not be selected just because they fit a specific category but that it should include all types of people from the community. This community is filled with folks who are knowledgeable and fair-minded but who don’t fit one of the specific categories Council was discussing. His point was that they also should be considered for committee membership.
“This tempest in a teapot comes the day before the primary election. The timing is suspect. Ron Filippelli is running for Council because three of the other candidates represent a group that has as its platform the defunding of the State College Police Department and the cutting of police officers. The State College Police Service is widely recognized as one of the most professional, highly trained policing agencies in the Commonwealth and beyond.”
Evan Myers: “I do not support what the mayor said. I do not know what he meant, but I will say that without the right structure and the right representation, such a board will be worthless. The board must represent marginalized groups and have the clout to investigate complaints. The rights of marginalized communities and people of color must be protected. It is why laws are on the books that protect people regardless of race, religion, national origin and sexual orientation. It is why this Council has passed such measures.
“After the shooting March 20, 2019, many people came forward with heartfelt testimony of discrimination and ill treatment. We must make sure their voices continue to be heard. The very resolution (1258) committing to creation of the COB supports this and states, ‘Whereas it has been demanded that State College implement a Community Oversight Board to address discrimination, bias, and racism in our local government and police [...] we commit to providing the needed resources [...] to see the formation and implementation of such a group.’”
This story was originally published May 16, 2021 at 5:36 PM.
