Republican mayoral candidate Joe Wakeley and his wife Esther paid a visit this afternoon to Simmons Dining Hall to talk to students about his platform for his campaign for mayor of State College. The race is being run following the sudden death of previous mayor Bill Welch. Mr. Wakeley said that he views the position of mayor as “an ambassador to the community.” He spoke of his accomplishments as president of the town council and his experiences with the State College and Penn State Communities.

College Republicans Chairman Executive Director Samuel Settle (Sophomore – Political Science) said that Mr. Wakeley is the the “strongest candidate for students, by far,” citing that all five of the Wakeley’s children and 2 grandchildren have attended Penn State.

Owen Divers (Sophomore – Elementary Education) said that Mr. Wakeley “seemed like a really nice guy, and I would definitely consider voting for him.”

Even though his is running on the Republican ticket, Mr. Wakeley says that Mayor is a nonpartisan position, and that people from both parties should look into both candidates and not focus on which ticket they’re on. This echoes the idea of former Mayor Bill Welch, who, as a registered Democrat, was viewed as a positive force for State College and Penn State across party lines. Mr. Wakeley hopes to do the same, if elected.