The uncontested 34th District state Senate race has taken a turn as a seasoned Centre County democrat announced his consideration to run.

Jon Eich, former Centre County administrator, said this week he is considering running for state senator against incumbent Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre.

"Public service is what I've done as a career so far and I'm interested in continuing that," he said. "There are a lot of things I'm not satisfied with in the state government."

Corman announced his bid for re-election last night at a press conference, telling supporters, "I would like to continue to serve as your state senator."

"I enjoy being the state senator, and I enjoy working with the people in the area," Corman said.

Should Eich declare his candidacy in this election, Corman will run opposed for the first time in eight years.

"I won't take anything for granted if an opponent decides to run for office," Corman said.

Eich served four years as the Centre County administrator and worked in the Centre County Planning office for 20 years.

"He knows more about the county than anyone I have ever met," Bob Shepherd, Centre County Democratic Committee chairman, said.

"He knows the county like a Google site. He is very capable and intelligent. I hope he goes ahead with it," Shepherd said.

Eich said he had been contemplating the idea for about a month and would make a final decision within the next month.

"If I get the signatures necessary to get on the ballot then I will take a shot at it," Eich said.

Corman, who is running for what would be his fourth consecutive term in the 34th District, said he plans to focus his campaign on his record, despite issues such as the pay raise.

"We're accountable for our actions while in office," said Corman. "But I choose to focus on the future."

The future, he said, involves confronting the issues of creating more than 1,000 new jobs in the county and focusing on public education.

"If you have good, family-sustaining jobs, that becomes the backbone of the community," he said.

Corman said he will do whatever he can to make college more affordable.

"There is a great concern to do whatever we can to lower the cost of education and keep the costs down," he said.

Corman said he also wants the county to be more independent in its financial efforts.

"We need to solve some of our own problems, and not look toward the government," he said.

The county's financial independence begins with making property tax plans more localized by individual school districts, Corman said.

The current plan, which offers an option to Pennsylvania school districts to participate, is too little and confusing for the local communities, he said.

Eich said he wants to tackle issues that remain unresolved like property tax reform. He said he will also focus on increased funding for education and an increased minimum wage.

Penn State tuition is among some of the highest schools in the Big Ten and has consecutively risen for the past 35 year, he said.

"We can't wait for new people to come in to office, we need to take action now on these issues," Eich said.

Corman has received positive feedback on his announcement for re-election.

"I think he has done an outstanding job serving [State College]," G.T. Thompson, Centre County Republican Committee chairman, said.

"I am pleased to hear he is running again," he said.

Shepherd said he believes Eich will be an asset to the area and Senate, which he said controls a great deal of everyday life.

Corman said he is no political novice, and knows that he can get more votes if he replaces his own campaign signs, as he did at his press conference, with the Pittsburgh Steelers' Terrible Towel.

The 34th District includes Centre County, Mifflin, Perry, Juniata, and sections of Union County -- and is therefore includes University Park.