Letters: Readers urge support for candidates in State College races

Editor’s note: The Centre Daily Times welcomes letters endorsing candidates in the May 18 primary election and will accept letters that are received by Monday. Letters are subject to editing, must be based on facts and should avoid attacks on other candidates.

Reform damaging police tactics

When I was much younger, I was driving down I-95. I was pulled over for speeding. After receiving a ticket for 6 mph over the limit, the officer asked if I was carrying any contraband. I hesitantly said, “Well, no.” He responded, “Then you won’t mind if I search your vehicle?”

“Well ... yes I mind.”

“If you refuse, that will give me probable cause.”

I said “Well, OK.”

I was scared. I was by myself. I was from out of state. It was late at night.

He searched the glovebox, back seat, the floor, then he asked me to open the trunk. He tore apart both of my travel bags, looked in the spare tire well, and then pulled the sides of the trunk apart. He didn’t find anything.

Then he said goodnight and just left. He didn’t apologize or help put my car back together.

I am a white male and I was shaking and terrified. I am frightened to think what could have happened had I been a person of color or if I had refused his request.

To this day I am still somewhat scared of police and am still a little mentally scarred by that incident. I strongly believe that these tactics have no place in law enforcement. I ask everyone reading this to speak out about reforming and eliminating police tactics of this sort. Violating hundreds of people’s rights cannot be justified to find the one or two actual criminals that these tactics might catch.

Candidates offer future-looking vision

I imagine when council term limits were adopted by the borough electorate in 1999, few of the “yea” voters envisioned a revolving door of candidates returning after a two-year hiatus to serve another four- to possibly eight-year term. I certainly didn’t. That’s the situation we’re facing again and have faced many times in the intervening 21 years.

While there is something to be said for “experience,” the reality is that day-to-day operations are handled by the experienced borough manager and professional staff. Were the “experience counts” candidates serving when developers urged council to adopt the new height limits that have led to an explosion of high-rises and “Beaver Canyons” popping up all over downtown? Were they serving when low income housing requirements were adopted with loopholes so big that a four- or three-story hotel can be built with a paucity of low-income units, directly adjacent to a neighborhood? There were better outcomes, too, but these examples have had very recent quality-of-life impacts.

Council is — if you take a close look as I did when I considered running — a very demanding, unpaid job, and I thank all current and past council members for their service. This year, however, there are choices available that would diversify council, add some welcome freshness, and a future-looking vision. This election, I will be making my choice among Richard Biever, Gopal Balachandran, Divine Libscomb, and Katherine Yeaple. I encourage all State College voters to consider doing the same.

Dauler, Filippelli will help community move forward

We in State College have fine candidates for Borough Council this year. But as a long-time resident who has been acquainted with both Cathy Dauler and Ron Filippelli for over 30 years, I believe we are extraordinarily lucky that, after all their years of service, these two have decided to run again.

To the challenge of recovering from the COVID pandemic, Dauler and Filippelli would bring not only wisdom and wide-ranging skills, but also profound local knowledge and a deep devotion to our community. In our urgent need to move forward, it’s crucial to have leaders who truly understand where we’ve been.

The mayor State College needs

I would like to join the chorus of voices supporting Ezra Nanes for mayor of State College. Ezra worked for me when he was in the Penn State Smeal MBA program here in State College and he was just fantastic — the most caring and responsive person you could imagine in dealing with other people. Ezra was in the MBA program so he could learn principles that applied to all organizations, not just businesses. He has always been focused on improving peoples’ experiences in the nonprofit/public domain. Ezra recognizes that governments are not like businesses, but that government can benefit from applying some business principles. I encourage you to vote for Ezra Nanes for mayor of State College. You won’t regret it. I just can’t imagine a better candidate for this role. He’s the kind of guy we all are looking for to help us make the borough a better place to live.

Hutchinson will continue to be a strong advocate for SCASD

Dave Hutchinson has been an outstanding member of the SCASD school board. As a faculty member at SCAHS, I was amazed by his ability to shed light on critical issues. He led the issue forums on diversity, mental health, taxes, conflict resolutions and addiction.

Dave was a member of the board who oversaw the building and construction of our school properties. He supported the need to keep our Career and Technical Center in the high school. He supported the Delta Program to include younger grades.

Dave has always been an advocate for every student. He has fought for the rights of all students and for direct student service programs. He supports athletics as well as the arts. Dave states on his Facebook page that, “student wellbeing includes a sense of self-worth, of belonging, and the ability to practice skills that enhance learning — with all of that happening in a safe and supportive school environment.”

Dave is a father of three State High graduates. Two of his grandchildren are currently enrolled in Corl Street Elementary School. He was president of the Pennsylvania School Board Association. He is a Teamster.

He led educators and school board members from across the state in providing mandatory Civics Education in Pennsylvania schools. Dave also has his own podcast — The Discomfort Zone — where he highlights the important education issues facing us today.

Dave Hutchinson deserves your vote. He was, and will continue to be, a strong advocate for our district.