Borough council reorganizes at first meeting of the year

New council members Meyer, Goreham sworn in; McMannis elected council president.

The State College Borough Council began 1998 with immediate changes -- swearing in two new council members and electing a new council president.

Jean McManis replaced Tom Daubert as council president at the first council meeting of the year on Jan. 5. Daubert held the position for two years.

"Whenever you get to be my age, there's nothing better than to do something different with your life," she said.

McManis served as president for two years prior to Daubert and has been on borough council for 10 years. Daubert will maintain a council seat.

In addition, new members to borough council include Elizabeth Goreham and James Meyer. They replace Ruth Lavin, who retired, and Jerry Wettstone, who was not re-elected in the November election.

Mayor Bill Welch and borough council member Janet Knauer were also sworn in at the meeting. They were both re-elected to their respective positions in November. The newly elected and re-elected officials were sworn into office by Centre County President Judge Charles Brown.

The recently elected council members fill the seven council seats with Daubert, McManis, Donald Hahn and Richard McCarl, who were not up for re-election this year.

With the title of council member, Daubert said he can now fight for the improvements he really wants accomplished within the borough.

"When you're the president, you have to try to get groups to make compromises for each other, which isn't always an easy thing to do," he said, "and you can't always fight for what you want."

The proposed town center, re-zoning and transportation are issues the new council president wants borough council to tackle early this year.

McManis said she has a general concern of how to transport people in ways that are beneficial to the borough and for the individuals themselves.

"I want to work on this for those who want a tranquil transition from home to work and vice versa," McManis said.

Goreham also shares in McManis' concern that transportation in the borough needs improvement. Goreham said she would like to see borough residents use mass transit to a greater extent.

She also wants to establish a tenant-landlord dispute resolution committee. She would like tenants to be able to register complaints against landlords without having to contact a lawyer.

"I would like to have students help me to establish this," Goreham said. "I want the students to be involved in the borough council."

Meyer also has an agenda for his first year on council, which includes addressing the town center, the College Heights diverters and the process through which council finalizes its budget.