Longtime borough employee Kevin Kassab announces candidacy for State College Borough Council
Longtime borough employee Kevin Kassab — who plans to retire in March — announced his candidacy Thursday for an open four-year seat on State College Borough Council.
Kassab worked for the borough for more than 34 years, most recently serving as the director of community engagement and acting as the borough’s designated liaison to the LGBTQ community. He originally served as a health technician and then health officer, where his duties included restaurant health inspections.
“I, Kevin Kassab, would be so honored to win the confidence of my community and be chosen to serve the Borough of State College as a member of Council,” he said in a written statement.
In a news release, Kassab touted his familiarity and experience with the neighborhood associations, Penn State students and organizations, the LGBTQ community, and social-service organizations.
He was instrumental in helping the borough improve its score on the Municipality Equality Index, which measures the inclusivity of municipal policies and services for the LGBTQ community — with State College earning its fourth straight 100/100 score last year. And he also assisted in the planning of Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, in addition to MLK-related events and commemorations.
Among his priorities, Kassab included enhancing sustainability efforts (e.g. improving bike safety/creating bike paths), working with local businesses/organizations to attract more visitors and encouraging efforts involving affordable housing.
The self-proclaimed team player who leads by example has a life partner and two daughters, both graduates of State High and Penn State. He also boasts seven grandchildren.
He is the fifth candidate so far to publicly announce his intentions to run for an open seat on borough council. Four candidates — Matt Herndon, Kassab, Evan Myers and Josh Portney — are running for one of the four open seats with four-year terms. One candidate, Nalini Krishnankutty, is running to retain her seat with a two-year term. (Krishnankutty was appointed a council member in June 2022 to replace Councilman Richard Biever, who vacated his seat after a family move to Kansas. The borough’s home-rule charter does not allow an appointment to finish out a full term if the departure comes so shortly after taking office.)
Of the four four-year term seats, incumbents Jesse Barlow and Janet Engeman cannot run for reelection because the borough’s charter prevents council members from serving for three consecutive terms. (They’ve served from 2016-2023.) The others — Deanna Behring and Peter Marshall — have yet to publicly declare their intentions.
