In Praise of Preliminary State House Map of Dec 16
Chair Nordenberg and the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, My name is Ezra Nanes. I am a resident of the College Heights neighborhood and the newly sworn-in Mayor of the Borough of State College, Pennsylvania. I write to you today to share my personal views with you as a father, husband of a business owner, and someone who has lived, worked, studied (Penn State MBA ‘12) and served in our community for 12 years. I would like to commend the Commission on the thoughtful deliberation, fairness, and transparency you have brought to the redistricting process. The positive outcome of these efforts is reflected in the lines of the proposed Pennsylvania House of Representatives map. I write to urge that the preliminary district lines for Centre County and the Commonwealth, shared with the public on Thursday, December 16, 2021, remain as proposed. I personally support without reservation the proposed division of the State College Borough across two new State House districts, proposed as the 77th and the 82nd. I state the above with great care and thoughtfulness because I believe that the proposed maps more truly represent this community and will provide what hundreds, if not thousands, of my fellow community members in the Borough and throughout the Centre Region have stated to me that they want - equitable, accessible, and responsive representation. The Borough is a dense and growing population center with effective local government, diverse people and neighborhoods, and a strong and growing economy. However, we are not an island. Our neighborhoods cross municipal lines on nearly every side. We have a valuable, collaborative organization in our Centre Region Council of Governments, that unites the interests and power of multiple municipalities on key issues like parks, fire protection, and sustainability. It is an advantage to have people working together to represent our community, as the two representatives of the Borough of State College would in the proposed maps. I believe that nothing great is accomplished in a vacuum and that what may seem like a tremendous individual achievement, is almost always accomplished through the enablement of a team of people supporting that individual. And so it would be with our new team of two State Representatives and their offices, working together to bring the voice of State College to Harrisburg. In recent years, Centre County has typically had 1 Democratic and 3 Republican Representatives. How does this accurately reflect the goals, values, and voices of Centre County voters, when the County is majority Democratic? The new maps would create one likely Democratic district, one likely Republican district, and one “purple” or more competitive district, the new 82nd, that leans Democratic. This is more truly representative of the population of this County and of the Borough and surrounding townships than the current electoral maps. It is clear that our communities feel as though those who represent them, and the values and issues to which they lend their voices and use their power, should reflect their own goals and beliefs. With these new proposed lines, the State College Borough will be represented by two Democratic-leaning districts, one of which would have as incumbent Representative Conklin, for whose service and leadership we are most grateful, and the other of which will have no incumbent and be more competitive, enabling more responsive, accessible and equitable representation for our vibrant and diverse community. I hope you’ll take my remarks into account in approving the final State Legislative map. Thank you for your commitment and efforts towards upholding democracy in Pennsylvania. Sincerely, Ezra Nanes Mayor of the State College Borough