Former Councilman Evan Myers seeking return to State College Borough Council
Former State College Borough Councilman Evan Myers announced Wednesday afternoon that he plans to run for one of five open borough council seats this year.
Myers, a Democrat, served two four-year terms from 2014 to 2021. The borough’s home-rule charter does not allow council members to serve more than two terms consecutively, meaning Myers could not run for reelection in 2021, but the charter does not have overall term limits.
In other words, after a mandatory two-year break, Myers is again looking to be part of borough council.
“I want to build on the accomplishments of my time in office and there is more work to do,” he said Wednesday in a written statement. “Progress has been made on gaining citizen participation by enacting proposals I have made, but we need to go further.”
Myers, who’s called Happy Valley home for more than 50 years, said he wants to bring stability to council while bringing students, residents, businesses and the university together to build a more inclusive community. He believes the borough needs better parking solutions, an improved pedestrian/biking infrastructure and a way to better meet the growing need for inclusionary and affordable housing.
He touted legislative accomplishments that have helped ensure fair and affordable housing, racial equity and justice, immigrants’ rights and LGBTQ rights.
“There are important issues that need to be addressed forthrightly and urgently, such as our shrinking tax base, pressure on homeowners and a thorough review of zoning codes, covering everything from building size and height to the impact of development on density and safety,” Myers added.
The former council president is the first to officially announce his intent to run for one of borough council’s five open seats. Like Myers in 2021, current council members Jesse Barlow and Janet Engeman cannot run for reelection since they’re in the midst of serving consecutive terms from 2016-2023. Three others — Deanna Behring, Nalini Krishnankutty and Peter Marshall — have yet to publicly declare their intentions.
Myers, a Penn State alum, currently serves as a senior vice president at AccuWeather. He and his wife have raised three children in the community, all graduates of State High with two also at Penn State.
The former councilman has been consistently involved in the community and counts experience as chair of the State College Planning Commission, as a member of the Consolidation Study Commission, as a member of the Downtown Vision and Strategic Plan Committee and as chair of the Centre Region Council of Governments Finance Committee. He is also a past president and past board member of Congregation Brit Shalom.
