Democrats will overtake State College's Republican-dominated council this January, but old and newly elected members say that party affiliation doesn't matter for their roles.

State College Borough Council President Tom Daubert, a Republican, said he votes based on issues, not party.

"We've never voted along party lines for anything," said Daubert, who's served 14 years on council. "I'm hoping we don't start."

Daubert said he's familiar with the three Democrats that won council seats in yesterday's municipal elections
and doesn't think they'll vote on party lines.

Democrat Ron Filippelli, one of the future council members, said he also doesn't think party issues will divide them.

"I don't really think ideology plays a major role or should play a major role in borough policy-making," he said.

Daubert said council deals mainly with infrastructure concerns, so political ideology isn't as much of an issue as it is in higher government positions.

"We're talking about issues in State College where we do what's best for the town," he said.

Democrat Elizabeth Goreham, who will return to council for her third term, agreed that party-affiliation doesn't matter for local government. The real challenge council members will have this January is compromise, she said.

"I know we all bring our own stacks of priorities to the table," Goreham said. "To fold them all together is going to bring an interesting mix, but I think we'll get along very well."

Democrat Don Hahn, who also won a seat, said he thinks council members may conflict this January because they will have to pick a president, which happens every two years.

"I think it tends to start the year off and a new council off on bad footing," he said.

Hahn, who had a four-year council term beginning in 1995 and still serves on the planning commission, said he gets along with current council members "fairly well."

"I think as long as we remain task-oriented, I think there shouldn't be a problem," he said.

Hahn said he has differences with current council members on several issues, including two new zoning ordinances they passed this week. The zoning allows buildings up to 145 feet downtown as west as H Alley and as east as Garner Street under certain requirements. Members of the planning commission repeatedly said they wanted to see the zoning district apply to a smaller area. Hahn said he'd continue to discuss this perspective.

Goreham, who cast the only dissenting vote on the zoning approval, said she'd also like to continue discussing the issue. She said she doesn't think it should extend east of Allen Street.

"We have a lot of tall buildings on the eastern end of town, and I think we should look at expanding it before we try it out," she said.

Hahn said he'd also like to see council look at alternatives to the Eastern Inner Loop -- a road that would allow drivers to bypass eastern State College to get to North Atherton Street -- rather than just dropping the idea behind the project. Last month, council indicated the project's $40 million cost outweighed benefits.

"I think it'd be very disappointing if council kills this project," he said.

Filippelli said he knows he'll have conflicting issues with council at some point, but he's not aware of what they'll be yet.

He and Goreham said they'd continue with the emphasis the current council has placed on increasing business growth and permanent residents downtown.

Hahn said he's not against growth; his differences are just "a matter of style," he said.

"I think I tend to favor a more thoughtful, deliberative approach to issues -- one that places less emphasis on efficiency, on speed of decision-making," he said. "I think it's been a problem with council right now."