Correction appended
Elizabeth Goreham sat at Rotelli's on Tuesday night with a smile on her face and an "I voted" sticker on her coat. The day had been long and tiring, but State College's mayor-elect can finally relax.
As the final precincts reported in last night, Goreham, a Democrat, won with 62.38 percent of the vote against Republican Joe Wakeley. Goreham's victory was among a five-part Democratic sweep in the mayoral, district attorney and borough council races.
Three of the seven spots on the borough council were up for grabs this year. Democrat Thomas Daubert won a new seat on borough council, while incumbents Don Hahn and Ron Filippelli maintained their positions. The Republican candidates were Ron Madrid, Charles Gable and Brett Fisher, a Penn State student.
Goreham said the first sign of victory came this morning with a decisive Scrabble win over her husband. It was a "good omen," she said.
Her first action as mayor: "I'm going to hug all the council members," she said.
"I'm very proud of her to have the confidence to believe in herself ... to take the risk and run for mayor," said Dimitri Vaughn II (graduate-chemistry), who was at Rotelli's celebrating with the Democrats.
Wakeley said even with the final election results, the student backing he received was encouraging.
"We got a lot of support from the students," he said. "They thought what we were doing was OK, and I think they respected us, and that's important."
While at Rotelli's, 252 E. Calder Way, with Goreham and other Democratic supporters, Hahn said the feeling on election night never grows old.
"There's always some excitement to it, and this is certainly an exciting vote," he said.
The mayoral campaign this year began in late September, following the unexpected death of 15-year mayor Bill Welch. Goreham and Wakeley officially entered the mayoral race on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, respectively.
Wakeley said the short preparation period made the election difficult.
"The thing I was asked to do was to run for a campaign that was one month in duration, and that was an inadequate time to prepare," he said. "It was a shoestring-type program, and I think we did OK."
Samuel Settle (sophomore-political science and history), Wakeley's student campaign manager and executive director for the College Republicans, said plans for increased student involvement in borough politics hinged on Wakeley's election.
"Part of this is a question of whether or not we are going to be taking students seriously in the future," Settle said.
Republican candidate for council and student Fisher said his loss is a disappointment -- but not all that unexpected.
"We didn't do a good job of getting out to residents, but I don't know if residents would be inclined to vote for me because I am a student," he said.
Goreham becomes mayor after serving on borough council for 12 years, most recently serving as borough council president. Wakeley served on borough council from 1980 to 1983 and spent two of those years as council president. He also ran for mayor in 1993.
Goreham said she did not consider running until Welch passed away. The events that have occurred in the last nine weeks are part of life's twists and turns, she said.
"When you look back, it seems to unfold in a seamless way," she said.
While still waiting for voting precincts to close, Wakeley offered advice for current students, urging them to become more involved in local politics. He said that as long as students meet the qualifications necessary to run for office, they should consider it.
"The rest is up to you," he said. "What do you want to do?"
Correction: A photo caption accompanying this article incorrectly spelled the name of the man standing with Elizabeth Goreham. His name is spelled Joshua Lenes.
