Ezra Nanes appears to be on his way to becoming the next mayor of State College.
Nanes garnered a nearly two-to-one majority over Jim Leous in the Democratic primary election, with 1,712 votes (66.25%) to Leous’s 872 (33.75%).
Nanes issued a statement on Wednesday night declaring victory.
“I am deeply honored to have the support and confidence of the voters of the Borough of State College,” he said. “… Our community spoke with resounding clarity and unity of purpose to affirm the most fundamental part of our vision — that all people be loved, valued and respected for who they are, be protected, have access to representation and to the resources of our community and that every person has the same right of self-determination accorded to each of us.”
Nanes said that Leous, a three-term State College Area School Board member, called to congratulate him on Tuesday night and affirmed he would not accept a nomination on write-ins. With no candidate filed on the Republican ballot, the top vote-getter with at least 10 votes could receive the nomination, though would have to accept it before appearing on the November ballot.
Leous did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday night.
“Jim has served our community honorably, and his family, friends and supporters should be very proud of his commitment to our shared future,” Nanes said. “I look forward to working with Jim, and I know he will continue to play an important role in our civic life.”
Election results are unofficial until certified by the Board of Elections. The deadline to certify is June 7. Unofficial results will be submitted to the Department of State on Tuesday.
Nanes is director of business development at AccuWeather. He first made a splash in the local political scene when he challenged longtime incumbent Republican state Sen. Jake Corman in the 2018 34th District election. While his bid was unsuccessful, Nanes won 52.8% of the vote in Centre County.
He now appears likely to succeed Mayor Ron Filippelli, who was appointed by borough council in December 2019 when former Mayor Don Hahn stepped down after being elected magisterial district judge with two years remaining in his term. Nanes applied for consideration at the time and was nominated by Councilman Evan Myers, but his name never came up for a vote as Filippelli won a majority of council votes on the first nomination.
Filippelli did not seek election as mayor this year and ran for borough council.
Nanes plans to work with his team and council members to form a plan for his first 100 days, which he said would be shared publicly as it is developed
He launched his campaign in December with a commitment to “strong, empathetic leadership, constructive and unifying public discourse,” and responsive governance.
His priorities include “a just and equitable community for all people,” with a focus on zoning and development to support affordable housing, an increased focus on diversity in hiring, expanding bike and pedestrian infrastructure, supporting neighborhoods and businesses, and urging more aggressive action to move to 100% renewable energy an electrification of the municipal fleet.
He has advocated for the pending Community Oversight Board to be as comprehensive as possible and to have permanent funding, as well as reallocating funds for mental health responses.
Nanes previously said he plans to introduce a “Lived Experiences” forum as one way to give more access representation to minorities and a student advisory board that would give people a platform to talk about their experiences in State College and on the Penn State campus.
“When we bring new voices to the table, empower voices that have not been heard before, we all benefit from a valuable diversity of perspective,” Nanes said on Wednesday. “We make better decisions. We are enriched by an appreciation of our neighbors of differing backgrounds and lived experiences from us.”
The mayor of State College, who receives a salary of $13,000 a year, is elected to a four-year term. The mayor does not vote on any action of council, but can veto or approve ordinances and presides over council meetings.
