Here are 8 ways history was made during Centre County’s municipal election
Centre Region voters chose a historically diverse slate of Democratic candidates, spanning race, religion and gender during Tuesday’s municipal election.
Penns Valley residents, meanwhile, had an opportunity to vote for a non-incumbent district judge for the first time in more than a half-century.
Here are eight different ways Tuesday’s election was historic.
Ferguson Township’s decision-makers set to be all women
Incumbent Lisa Strickland and newcomers Tierra Williams and Hilary Caldwell were the top vote-getters in their respective races for Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors, according to unofficial election results. The trio would join supervisors Laura Dininni and Patricia Stephens on the five-member board.
“For so long, people have not trusted women in politics. ... I think it’s amazing that it’s happening,” Williams said. “... It’s a good thing. It’s not how progression starts, it’s how progression happens. We’ll be able to show people that the township can be ran with women and it’s OK.”
It would be the first all-female board in the township’s 220-year history.
“That doesn’t mean that we’re only going to focus on women issues or feminism. It’s means that women can actually do these jobs, handle these decisions, vote in a responsible manner and get the job done,” Williams said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re all women. I think it’s making a really big statement.”
First Black supervisor elected in Ferguson Township
Williams is also set to become the township’s first Black supervisor and the second Black woman elected to a governing body in the Centre Region. Patton Township supervisor Pam Robb was the first.
“I think I’m still in shock, so I don’t know if I even have the words to describe how I feel right now. I’m very shocked,” Williams said. “I’m very honored that the citizens of Ferguson would entrust me with this responsibility. It’s a very surreal experience and I know that it’s not going to be easy.”
State College elected its first Jewish mayor
State College continued its tradition of electing diverse mayors since the start of the 21st century by choosing Ezra Nanes, who will be the first Jew elected to the position.
“During my campaign, I made sure to place my Jewish heritage — and what it means to me — at the front and center of my story, so that everyone had the opportunity to know me and to understand my motivations for seeking elected office. As a child of parents who lived during the Holocaust — fortunately in America — a fire was kindled in me at an early age to seek justice and fairness in our world,” Nanes wrote in a statement. “I look forward to sharing my Jewish heritage and spirituality with the community and finding the common bonds of meaning and faith among us that unite people of all religions.”
First Indian-American member of State College Borough Council
Gopal Balachandran represented 50% of the minority population in his elementary school growing up. The other 50%? That was represented by his brother.
That’s just one experience that helped shape Balachandran, who is set to become the first Indian-American to serve as one of the borough’s decision-makers.
“It’s been particularly incredible to see my two boys see this and think, ‘Oh, wow. This is possible. This is something that is possible for people with our name and our background.’ It really is pretty extraordinary,” Balachandran said. “It feels very incredible, not just for myself, but for my kids. There are also people in the community who have reached out, so I feel very proud ... and like I can be some sort of torchbearer.”
First Black member of State College Borough Council
Divine Lipscomb is set to join Balachandran as a voice that’s historically gone unheard in elected office in Happy Valley.
In addition to being the first Black member of Borough Council, he’s also believed to be the first council member that was previously incarcerated.
“It is an indescribable honor to have accomplished such a milestone. Yet, if people have paid any attention to me over the last year, they will know that this vote of confidence is all about the community,” Lipscomb wrote in a text message. “This is a vote that says we want to work though our hard conversations and our differences.”
First Black man elected as supervisor in Patton Township
Sultan Magruder won an uncontested seat and is the first Black man to be elected as a Patton Township supervisor.
First Black woman elected to the State College Area school board
Carline Crevecoeur — a woman who immigrated with her five siblings to Brooklyn, New York, from Haiti when she was 5 years old — would be the first Black woman elected to the State College Area school board.
“While it is unfortunate that it has taken until 2021, I feel incredibly honored to be the first Black woman on the school board,” Crevecoeur wrote in an email. “It feels like a historic moment to me, and I have to thank all of the volunteers who supported my campaign and the voters who trusted me to help all of our children learn and grow.”
She would also be one of four first-time school board members elected Tuesday.
“I believe that our community is one that is friendly and welcoming, and one that values inclusive and innovative education. However, every community has differences of opinion, and I know that some members of our community may place a different emphasis on the importance of diversity in our schools and curricula than I do,” Crevecoeur wrote. “That said, I know that we all want the best for our kids, and I plan to do my part in working toward having honest conversations and building consensus regarding issues that affect our community.”
Penns Valley voters elect non-incumbent district judge for first time in 52 years
Garman Matter was elected as the first district judge that covers Penns Valley. He reached the mandatory retirement age before the next election, leaving a former governor to appoint Keith Bierly to the position.
Bierly resigned in 1987. Another former governor appointed Ron Horner as district judge; he retired in 2002. Tom Jordan was appointed and was the only candidate on the general election ballot in subsequent elections.
That made Greg Koehle the first non-incumbent to be up for election since 1969. He won Tuesday’s election running unopposed.
All election results are unofficial until certified by the Centre County Board of Elections on Nov. 19.
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story included Carline Crevecoeur as the first Black member of the State College Area school board. A Black man served on the board in the 1990s.