A State College Borough Council member will step down next month with about a 20 months remaining in his term.
Divine Lipscomb wrote in a letter to Mayor Ezra Nanes and fellow council members that his resignation will be effective May 12. The letter was sent on March 28, according to the agenda for Monday night’s Borough Council meeting, where the other council members will be asked to formally accept his resignation.
Lipscomb called it “a difficult decision,” that he arrived at “after much consideration.”
“It has been an immense privilege to serve alongside you and the esteemed members of the Borough Council, both past and present,” Lipscomb wrote. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked collaboratively with such dedicated individuals who are deeply committed to the betterment of our community.”
Lipscomb became the first Black council member in State College when he was elected in November 2021 along with a slate of progressive candidates that also included Richard Biever and Gopal Balachandran. Biever resigned from council in June 2022 to move out of state and was replaced by Nalini Krishnankutty.
A Penn State graduate student, Lipscomb is also the first formerly incarcerated member of Borough Council. He is a restorative justice advocate and founder of Corrective Gentleman, an alternatives to incarceration and reentry program.
In his letter, Lipscomb thanked Borough Manager Tom Fountaine and borough staff for their guidance, and the community for “entrusting [him] with the responsibility of co-governing with them.”
“Serving on the Borough Council has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I am thankful for the trust and support that the residents have shown me during my time in office,” he wrote. “As I transition from this role, I am confident that the Borough Council will continue to work tirelessly to address the needs and concerns of our community, and I will do everything in my power to ensure a smooth transition during this period.”
He did not provide a reason for his resignation in the letter and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After accepting his resignation on Monday, the other six Borough Council members will then have 45 days to fill the seat and must make an appointment by May 30. If council does not appoint a new member by then, the decision can be made by the Centre County Court of Common Pleas based on a petition by council or five residents of the borough.
Council will first need to agree on a process for filling the vacancy. They must select a qualified and registered voter of the borough and deliberations must occur at a public meeting, but otherwise there are no specific requirements in state law or the borough charter for appointing a member.
In the past five years, council has filled vacancies for mayor and two council seats, and while the processes had variations, they followed the same general model. Potential candidates were asked to submit letters of interest and give presentations based on questions from council and the public. Council members were then selected in random order to make a nomination, and the first candidate to receive a majority of votes won the appointment.
The person appointed to replace Lipscomb will serve out the remainder of his elective term through the end of 2025.
Borough Council meets at 7 p.m. Monday on the third floor of the State College Municipal Building.
