‘Deeply treasured this experience.’ State College council member set to resign
The youngest member of the State College borough council is resigning this month.
Josh Portney, who was elected to the borough council in 2023, said in a press release Monday evening that he accepted a clerkship with the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and will resign from the council to comply with judicial ethics. He said once accepted, his resignation is effective at midnight Jan. 13.
“I have made ethics a cornerstone of my public service on State College Borough Council. As such, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my elected office,” Portney said in the release. “I deeply treasured this experience of serving my community, and am truly excited for my colleagues to continue the work of responsibly facilitating State College’s growth and prominence as an international borough.”
Prior to his election to the council, Portney served on the borough’s planning commission and was the borough’s representative to the Centre Regional Planning Commission. He has also worked on several Democratic political campaigns in the region.
He graduated from Penn State in fall 2022 with bachelor’s degrees in political science and broadcast journalism, and went on to pursue a law degree at Penn State. Portney is the youngest person to be elected to borough council since the early 1970s.
When he announced his campaign in 2023, he listed priorities such as strengthening the borough’s inclusivity/equality, improving the borough’s pedestrian/bike infrastructure and focusing on solutions to the housing crisis.
His short term on council was not without some controversy. In one instance, he came under fire for comments he made on a radio show when he questioned if some already vacant positions within the borough’s staff could be moved to part-time to help decrease or eliminate a proposed tax increase. He has also been a vocal opponent of the management of the Solar Power Purchase Agreement in Centre County and the legal fees attached to the project, and butted heads with other elected officials about the project.
“I am thankful to have had the faith and support of my constituents, and it is my hope that the next Council member to hold this position continues my efforts to bring financial transparency and responsibility to the Borough and the Centre Region,” Portney said.
The borough council is scheduled to meet next at 7 p.m. Jan. 12.
