Local news from StateCollege.com and Centre County Partners. Read about Democrats Hold Strong Lead in State College Borough Council Race and more from the State College, PA region
Amid ongoing vote counting, Democrat Ezra Nanes, director of business development in account management at AccuWeather, declared victory in the primary election for the State College mayoral position in a statement Wednesday night, saying he is deeply honored.
With 26.09% of Centre County turning out to vote and roughly 2,000 votes yet to be counted, Nanes has received 1,568 votes, compared to Democrat Jim Leous s 815 votes, according to the latest election data update Tuesday night. This equates to 65.8% of votes for Nanes and 34.5% for Leous.
Leous, who is finishing his third term on the State College Area School Board, called Nanes Tuesday night to offer congratulations and support, according to the statement.
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When surveying State College officials, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who knows Happy Valley as well as Jim Leous.
Leous, who’s running for mayor as a Democrat this year, came to Penn State decades ago for grad school. Since then, he got married in the borough, delivered three kids at Mount Nittany Medical Center, and became well-versed in State College’s schools.
Suffice to say, he understands the borough’s broad appeals.
“It is absolutely a great place to raise a family, and it is a great place to retire,” Leous said.
Leous is now finishing out his third term on the State College Area School Board. After telling his colleagues last summer that he will not be returning for a fourth term, they encouraged him to look into running for mayor. Ultimately, that became a factor in launching his campaign.