He’s back, folks.

Three years after his original “10 Questions“ interview with Onward State, State College Mayor Ezra Nanes returned for another round, discussing everything from his first mayoral term to his pick for the Super Bowl.

Onward State: So much has happened since your last “10 Questions“ with us in 2022. What do you see as the most significant shift in State College from then to now? 

Ezra Nanes: It’s been an incredible three years. I think we’ve made significant progress toward our goals of creating a welcoming and inclusive community where every person feels protected, empowered, respected, and valued. The council passed a resolution making State College a transgender sanctuary city, which just affirms the identity of the LGBTQ+ community, which is often under scrutiny from others.

We’ve got a new department of DEI in State College and a wonderful person leading it. This brings people together and is fundamentally valuable. We’ve seen the growth of events like Pride, Juneteenth, Happy Valley Latin Fest, Duali, Light Up Night, and all of these events that span the spectrum of the community. We’ve made great progress in that area for everybody. 

In that regard, I think we’ve come a long way and there’s ongoing work to do. We’re never done with this work. But, I’ve issued lots of proclamations, attended countless events, and worked really hard with my own personal time to be present, listen, learn, understand, and reflect that back into the community in a way that honors dignity. So I think that’s been tremendous.

We’re continuing to make investments in bike and pedestrian infrastructure and safety because we want to make sure that people can move around a community in whatever way is most convenient, affordable, safe, efficient, and healthy. We have a tremendous project going on in our downtown on Calder Way where we have raised over $40 million to create a bike and pedestrian-prioritized corridor. 

After five years of preparation with 10 other municipalities, we’ve now joined a solar power purchase agreement. The borough will now be purchasing 80% of its electricity that’s used in our buildings, facilities, street lights, and stop lights. Electricity will be coming from a solar farm and will save us money on our electric bill and help us take a huge stride toward our carbon emissions reduction and zero carbon emissions goals.

OS: What is your most valued takeaway from your first term as mayor?

EN: Wow, that’s a great one. I think a big part of being mayor of State College is showing up, being present, and understanding how to be a part of community life in a way that’s towards the dignity of the people. 

I’ve learned from some very challenging moments, especially council issues, where you have opposing sides that feel like their goals aren’t aligned. The deeper nature of those goals may someday be able to be found, but there’s a real powerful opposition in the council. Creating an environment where every person is heard without judgment, without response, and without counterattacking, is really powerful.

Emotional self-awareness has impacts across every facet of life, from economic and business to personal and cultural. We have to be able to work with one another.

OS: As your reelection approaches, what message would you like to share with the State College community?

EN: You matter. Your voice matters. And that’s what I’ve said all along. Whether you’re a student here for two to four years, or whether you’ve been here for your entire life, for 50 or 60 years, or even 10 years. Your presence, your voice, and your experience matter. We want to hear from you. We want you to be a part of our life and our government here. So, that’s really such an important message.

OS: What is one word that encapsulates your visions and aspirations for State College in the next four years, and why?

EN: I’m gonna say thriving. Thriving encompasses a lot of different elements. There’s growth, there’s sustainability, there’s empowerment, happiness, and there are good things happening when you’re thriving.

We have a lot of change and growth, and we need to be able to move through that time and thrive. We want people to be enjoying and feeling like their goals and their experiences are positive and they’re able to move in a direction that they want to.

OS: You talked a lot about bike infrastructure in your 2022 interview with us. Where do you see the city’s bike and pedestrian infrastructure in five years? And on that note, do you have a favorite bike trail in the area?

EN: Gosh, there’s so many things to say about that. My dream scenario for the bike infrastructure is a fully interconnected system across the region. Not just the borough, but connecting with all the neighboring townships, so you could bike from one part of town to another and safely navigate would be the vision.

We’re working with the college township and Penn State on connecting some of the new housing developments along College Avenue into downtown. We’re also creating connectors like the one from Westerly [Parkway] to Blue Course, and eventually, connectors that go all the way from one side of town out to Rothrock Forest. There are challenges, though, because bike infrastructure necessitates budgeting and ordinances being passed in every municipality. 

We also have a major zoning rewrite underway right now. [The zoning] needs to be updated to allow for the development of more housing while preserving the beautiful neighborhoods we have. By increasing the supply of housing, we could potentially see costs come down on some of that housing. And we need affordability for renters and homeowners.

As for my favorite trail, that’s a tough one. I live close to the Penn State golf course and the bike paths around there. I can walk a couple blocks from my house and I’m on a path that leads over to Blue Course, and from there I can get to White Hall and Rothrock. Calder and Westerly are gonna be favorites once those are finished, too. Those are going to be really amazing.

OS: Penn State’s sports teams have created a lot of excitement this year with women’s volleyball claiming a national title, wrestling’s No. 1 ranking, and the football team making a deep run, to name a few. What role do you think our sports play in bringing the community together?

EN: Oh gosh, I mean the region, and even Pennsylvania, we love our Penn State sports. It’s a big part of life and what people love here. It’s not the only part, but it’s huge. Obviously, football’s tremendous scale brings alumni and people from all over the country and world here. It’s just a kind of ritual that really gives us part of our identity. 

People living in State College have access to some of the top sporting events in the world, really. Those women’s volleyball games are a really big ticket and the same with wrestling. It just adds to the amazingness that is the State College region. It gives people a lot of pride, and there are so many different types of sports. I love to see more and more [sports] becoming recognized and having these wins. I’m a Penn Stater. I love seeing our teams win.

OS: Having lived in the vibrant and chaotic New York City, what makes this quieter town feel like home to you?

EN: When my wife and I first visited here when I was applying to the MBA program, we drove from New York City and got to Park Avenue, and then we got to that section with the historic homes and the campus, and it just gave me this magic feeling. I love New York City. It’s my hometown, my mother still lives there, and I love to visit. I have work there, but I really love living in this town because we have people from all over the world, all over the state, all over the country, here. Right here. And we’re in the middle of rolling farmland and beautiful nature. 

I can interact with a really dynamic mix of people, but also nature is very close. To me, nature being close is a big part of why this place is so special. My family and I thrive on getting out into the outdoors. I’m an adventure sports person all year round…whether it’s freezing and snowy or hot and humid, I just love to be out there doing stuff. So, that, for me, is like a place that I love to live. Certainly, I love to visit and go back to NYC. I love cities, I love to travel and see other places, but this is a great place to come home to.

OS: What’s a piece of advice or wisdom that’s guided you throughout your political career?

EN: Being a public figure, you’re in the public eye and there can be things said to you or about you that can stir your emotions. I’m a human being. I have feelings, goals, and needs like anybody else.

One thing I’ve learned is to really take a measured approach and not respond with a knee-jerk reaction. Sometimes it takes time to really understand a situation before acting. There are times when you need to be bold and act immediately, but I think that taking a moment and recognizing what you’re feeling is really important.

You have to have emotional maturity, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence. Believe it or not, emotions play a bigger role in business and politics than people want to acknowledge. Emotion is very powerful. Being in tune with that can really help us interact in a productive way.

OS: If you weren’t involved in politics, what could you see yourself doing instead?

EN: I have a great full-time job at Accuweather. I manage and grow large partnerships with major technology and media companies and I love doing it. But, deep down, I have a calling to be a “personal empowerment speaker.” I have a personal mission that I realized sometime in my early 20s, and for me, it’s just three words: awaken, empower, inspire. And when I say awaken, I mean to help people see the potential of their own lives, empower them, and inspire them to take action on those things.

That’s my personal mission, and that can range from public speaking to running a political campaign, negotiating, making business decisions, and all of those different kinds of things. I think something in the vaguely personal-coaching, self-help, public-speaking area fits with me.

OS: The last question is clearly the most important of them all: Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl next weekend?

EN: Let’s go Eagles! Come on, there was only one answer to that question.

I’m excited. What I love is the excitement that I see amongst the folks in Pennsylvania. It’s such a sense of pride and enthusiasm. It’s coming out from people you didn’t know were such passionate Eagles fans, and I love seeing it. And then, of course, Saquon. Like, come on. The connection that we have here is just so cool. So yeah, I’m excited for this. Fly Eagles fly, let’s go.