Ezra Nanes: Let’s stand together and say, ‘no one is an outsider in this town’

Editor’s note: As regular readers of letters to the editor know, the Democratic primary for State College mayor has drawn much interest within the community. It has also not been without controversy, as a Friday letter to the editor and social media reaction made clear. That letter was accepted the day after the publicized deadline — as in past elections, letters that miss the deadline by a day or two are considered as space allows. After weeks of letters from readers, we offered the mayoral candidates a chance to address residents a final time prior to Tuesday’s election.

On Friday, May 14, the Centre Daily Times published an attack on me written by Dianne Gregg, political advisor and longtime friend of mayoral candidate Jim Leous.

The attack does not just hurt me and my family. It inflicts damage on us all. This attack threatens our future.

Dianne Gregg’s letter to the editor is not about campaign finance reports. It is about preserving the order — the racial, ethnic, social, and political hierarchy of State College. Gatekeepers require there to be “others” — “outsiders” who are mistrusted and viewed as a threat. Because they are not “from here”, do not look a certain way, or fit the mold, they are denied our trust, respect, and kindness.

Our community is better than this.

The dog-whistles and disingenuous insinuations in the letter disenfranchise the voters of State College and make our wonderful community less hospitable for families and less desirable for businesses.

Ms. Gregg’s letter was submitted late — after the newspaper’s publicly stated submission deadline of May 10.

All campaign finance reports for my political committee are available online for anyone to view. You can see the submission date of my most recent report, as acknowledged by the Pennsylvania Department of State, May 7, 2021 — on time. A copy of the already-published report was delivered to the county immediately upon request.

Ms. Gregg, a seasoned political operative involved in multiple borough and statewide campaigns in this election, certainly knew our report was available online. But this is not about campaign finance.

Do we as a community support unjust attacks on our neighbors? Do we desire a politics of otherness, distrust, and division?

I have hope for our children’s future here, and I am committed to the work needed to achieve our community’s shared goals.

Jim Leous, will you fight for our community and what is right — and denounce this attack?

Let’s stand together and say with one voice, “No one is an outsider in this town.”

Our future depends on it.

This story was originally published May 16, 2021 at 7:18 AM.