If the title weren't already taken, State College Mayor Arnold Addison might call his autobiography The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner.

Addison, the borough's Republican mayor since 1978, is trying for an unprecedented fourth term. And for the third consecutive race, he is the only candidate on the ballot.

This time he has the electoral support of both political parties, after no viable Democratic candidates surfaced in the primary election. Addison said the Democrats decided he was their candidate of choice, and he won the primary handily with the backing of both parties.

"This means I have a mandate to serve all the people," he said.

Said State College Borough Councilwoman Ruth Lavin: "Nobody in this community could beat Arnold Addison."

Serving the State College area is not new to the 73-year-old Addison -- so far he has logged 30 years in local government.

This year Addison and Republican council incumbents Lavin, F. Dan Winand and Jerry Wettstone are running as a Republican "team" -- but only to save money, he said. Though he is a member of the team, his philosophies do not necessarily mesh with the others, he said.

"Of course we don't agree on every issue, but who's right? It doesn't have to be a detriment to good government," Lavin said.

Addison was quick to point out little disagreement exists between the legislative and executive branches of State College's government.

"Of course, at times I've ruffled a few feathers," he said.

Some of those opinions belong to local officials who Addison is at odds with over fair housing and in-lieu parking. The mayor recently vetoed the council's fair housing bill because it was in opposition to his public stance espousing diversity.

"I disagree on fair housing with all of (the council)," he said. His veto of the council-approved fair housing bill was based on its exclusion of protection for gay men and lesbians and unmarried couples.

"I am hopeful we will find a compromise acceptable to the majority that would clearly state there will be discrimination against no one, except people with financial problems that would prevent them from paying," he said.

"We're under pressure," Addison said. "I don't want to upset the community and have anybody lose money, but (non-discrimination) is a principle of mine."

The mayor says he intends to translate that principle into continued efforts to promote diversity in the community.

"Promoting diversity will be a continuing thrust -- it's extremely important as the University grows and different minorities increase in number at both the undergraduate and graduate levels," he said.

Addison has also worked to foster communication between the town and the students, he said. Once a month, Addison meets with leaders of student groups such as the Interfraternity Council.

"It's been very effective," said IFC president Tom Lynch. "Mayor Addison really goes to bat for the students."

Besides the council's fair housing proposal, the borough's in-lieu parking program is something Addison said he does not support and would rather see dismantled.

"In-lieu is not good for the students," he said. Apartment developers should build on-site parking since students rent most of the space in large apartment buildings downtown, and are not going to park at a garage far from where they live, he said.

Addison suggested building garages under the apartment buildings themselves as a remedy for the current parking crunch. "Within a year we'll wrap up the parking issue," he said.

One issue looming in this area's future is consolidation of all the area's municipalities under one government. Though Addison said he supports the concept, he admits it will not happen overnight.

"I'm a realist," he said. "We must wait until the citizens in the outlying communities see the wisdom in consolidation."

With the consolidation of government will come the eventual interconnection of utilities such as water systems -- a move that will cost time and money, Addison said.

Though such long-range plans concern Addison, he said preserving the economic vitality of State College's downtown is much more pressing.

"There is a growth plan a group of consultants are working on," he said. "It is important that we begin to work on the plan right away so it doesn't get outdated," he said.

Something else Addison does not want to see become outdated is himself.

"I kind of doubt I'll run again," he said. "At the end of this term, I'll be 77 and have 35 years in the government."

A 1938 political science graduate of West Virginia University, Addison received his masters degree a year later from the same school.

After moving to State College in 1948, he was a professor of industrial relations and a personnel director for engineering applied research at the University for 30 years. He began serving on the State College Borough Council in 1960 and retired from Penn State in 1978 to take on his responsibilities as mayor.

Addison attributes his status to a number of factors, including good name recognition and performance recognition.

"I think I have done a reasonably good job," he said.