In a town that fills up in August and clears out in May, the State College Borough Council has to cater to both lifetime and four-year residents. Newly elected council president Elizabeth Goreham has several ideas about how to do just that.

"I think we can all be happier here," Goreham said.

Goreham, 65, was elected president of the council on its first meeting of the new year on Jan. 7.

Although Goreham considers State College her longtime hometown, she is not originally from the borough. Born in Chicago, Goreham grew up in northern Indiana before studying political science at George Washington University.

Studying in Washington, D.C., allowed Goreham to become more involved with Capitol Hill by working with a senator from Indiana.

"Politics has been something of interest to me my whole life," she said.

Goreham came to State College in 1993 with her husband, Jack Matson, who is a professor of environmental engineering at Penn State.

She began to manage real estate and said that learning how to cater to student tenants was a difficult but enjoyable experience.

The council has the interesting job of serving a town where so many of the residents are only temporary, she said. Despite this constant flow of students, Goreham said she wants students to know their needs shouldn't be ignored.

"Students really respond well to being respected," she said.

First elected to the council in 2003, Goreham soon became involved with the construction of the Schlow Centre Region Library.

During her next two terms in office, environmentally friendly initiatives topped Goreham's to-do list.

The council recently adopted Resolution 944, which she said makes State College a "Climate Protection Community." The program is an effort to lower carbon emissions in the borough.

Another pet project of hers, she said, is a "living roof," a large garden, on the roof of the State College Municipal Building.

The council unanimously chose Goreham as president because of her years of experience and her energetic personality, other council members said.

"She also tends to put people at ease, as well," said council member Donald Hahn, who also called the new president "a dynamo" and "a bundle of energy."

Even with the praise of her peers, Goreham's leadership is not void of criticism. Student advocacy group Safeguard Old State (SOS) rated her No. 4 on its list of the "Top Ten People Hurting Penn State University".

SOS executive director Gavin Keirans said the organization was concerned about some of Goreham's comments about students in the past.

"She called students 'miscreants,' " he said, adding that, "she ran on the platform of making a center for landlords and students so that disputes could be handled. That has not come to fruition."

Taking the criticism in stride, Goreham said it is an entry for dialogue between students and the council.

"It should be a joint venture," she said. "Contact me; contact other members of council and let us establish communication."

She insists that the way students can better co-exist with their neighbors is to have more discussions.

"We welcome students to serve on our boards and that's difficult because students lead a full life. E-mail us what you think, good or bad, and let's have a dialogue," she said.