Ezra Nanes will seek reelection as State College mayor in the 2025 election, he announced on Tuesday.
Citing “his love for the community, pride in the work accomplished and excitement to continue building the brightest possible future for all residents,” Nanes will be running for a second term after first being elected to the role in 2021.
“Serving as mayor of State College is the honor of a lifetime,” Nanes said. “Thank you to the State College community for your confidence, support, and engagement over the past three years. Serving as mayor of America’s greatest college town has been an incredible, life-changing experience. I have been inspired every day by the people of this community — our families, our students, our working professionals, our business owners, our service members and veterans, our retirees, our Penn Staters — and I am eager to continue serving you.”
Nanes, a Democrat, said his second term would focus on “championing local business, elevating the town’s profile and building productive relationships with key leaders” to enhance the quality of life in State College.
He also plans to continue advocating for investments in sustainable infrastructure, developing the bike path and trail network in the Centre Region, increasing affordable housing, celebrating the State College area’s many identities and cultures, encouraging the arts, supporting the educational growth of students and ensuring safety for all.
Nanes pointed to numerous milestones and achievements in the borough since he took office in 2022.
They include enhancing civic life through the development and growth of events such as Pride, Juneteenth, Latin Fest, Light Up Night, Centre Film Festival, and the IronMan 70.3 Triathlon. He helped secure funding for the Calder Way project to transform the corridor into a pedestrian- and bike-friendly space, and developed community programs, such as working with the Downtown State College Improvement free holiday bus token program.
Nanes noted that he presided over Borough Council’s deliberations to enter the regional Solar Power Purchase Agreement and keep State College on track to meet its carbon emissions goals. He said he was instrumental in the borough hosting, in partnership with Penn State, Pennsylvania’s first Dignity Day and “advancing efforts to ensure acceptance, fairness and inclusion for all residents.”
He also cited his relationship-building efforts at the local, state and national level, and his role in establishing a Sister City relationship with Nizhyn, Ukraine.
“State College deserves high-energy leadership,” Nanes said. “I will continue to face challenges head-on and bring relentless positivity and self-awareness to this role.
The borough’s 11th mayor, Nanes is director of enterprise account management at AccuWeather, where he has worked in business development for more than 12 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in marketing and finance from Penn State.
Nanes ran unopposed in the 2021 general election for mayor after winning the Democratic primary.
The mayor of State College, who receives a salary of $13,000 a year, is elected to a four-year term. He does not vote on any action of council, but can veto or approve ordinances and presides over council meetings.
While the mayor, under State College’s home rule charter, does not have the ability to set policy, he plays a key role as the ceremonial head and official representative of the borough.
“The office of mayor requires not only a significant capacity for navigating the complexities of public life but also humility and a deep emotional intelligence to connect with people and acknowledge our shared experiences and differences,” Nanes said. “I am proud of what we have accomplished so far, but there is still more work to do. I am ready to continue showing up for our community and fighting for a State College that affirms the dignity of every resident.”
No other candidates have declared for the mayoral race as of this writing.
Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania is May 20.
