Letters: Family law experience needed; Clear choice in Penns Valley

Editor’s note: The CDT will no longer accept election-related letters after Thursday.

Family law experience needed

Although you wouldn’t know it from Gopal Balachandran’s campaign for Judge, all three of Centre County’s continuing Judges are experienced in criminal law. All three have handled criminal cases; two of them overseeing murder trials.

It is simply not accurate to say we need additional criminal law experience on the Centre County bench and disappointing that Balachandran would base his campaign on that false narrative.

The Centre County Legal Journal tracks the Judges’ daily schedules. The 2022 Journal shows that 72% of the judge’s court time was spent on family law and civil cases. Julia Rater brings vast experience in the areas of greatest activity in our Centre County Courts. Gopal Balachandran does not.

Clear choice in Penns Valley

The election for school board members in Penns Valley presents a clear choice. Throughout Penns Valley you will see signs that have four names on who, as a group, want to take over the school board. They are extremists and have no interest in public dialogue or the exchange of ideas and opposing views. Recently, on Route 144, a man tried to remove a yard sign promoting Domer Smeltzer. The homeowner caught him. She stood in front of his car and demanded he return the sign. Finally, he threw the sign at her and left. Several of these signs have been taken from yards in Penns Valley. Integrity, dignity and respect are what is needed in school board members as they set an example for our young people. In our front yard are signs for Domer Smeltzer, Karla Groy, Scott Butler and Celeste Powell. We chose to support these candidates because they have integrity, dignity and respect. They care about our young people and not some extreme agenda. If anyone feels the need to remove signs from our front yard, please don’t, instead show some courage (like the woman on Route 144) and knock on our front door so we can discuss your intentions. A few businesses in the area are displaying signs endorsing these extremists, which is their right. It is our right to boycott these businesses. We urge all voters to choose candidates who are truly interested in our young people and the entire community.

SCASD board needs Zydney

Soon after Laurel Zydney moved to State College, we met for a walk at Tudek Park, she was pushing her child in a stroller. I realized that she was a special person, interesting and intelligent, with a kind heart and a sense of humor.

I became aware of Laurel’s willingness to share her time and talents to help others. When she was elected to the school board, I thought to myself, “they are lucky to have her.”

She has shown integrity in her ability to listen and work with others to achieve practical answers and solutions to important, sometimes difficult, issues. Laurel will always look at the whole picture, her concerns being the needs of the students, the teachers and staff, families and the community as a whole.

The State College board of directors needs Laurel Zydney — please, give her your vote to keep her on the board.

‘Voice of small business’ candidate

Though gone from State College for the past 6 years to chase after grandchildren, I do maintain a close eye on the local political scene. It is encouraging to see that Tony Sapia is running for State College Borough Council. The voice of small business needs more representation in State College, where the number of small businesses — especially diverse food businesses — is growing. Academics, a majority on the Council for the past 20 years, do not have the same sort of vision nor the can-do attitude of businesspeople and it is time to take it to the streets.

Tony Sapia has long been a champion of the local food movement. His Gemelli bakery, named after his twin sons, has built community through partnerships with Kim Tait of the local gem Tait Farm Foods and Megan Schaper, the SCASD visionary food service director. The vibrancy of the State College farmers market scene — with seven local markets, some year-round — is in large part attributable to Sapia and his boundless energy.

Turning that energy to the Borough Council can only result in making downtown State College a more desirable place for families to gather and for foot traffic to increase for local businesses. Other issues that Sapia plans to focus on include more affordable workforce housing, more collaboration with local property owners to resolve issues, and a re-thinking of zoning laws.

Tony Sapia can bring a lot to the table at the Council meetings. And he will do it with levity and brevity.