When surveying State College officials, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who knows Happy Valley as well as Jim Leous. Leous, who’s running for mayor as a Democrat this year, came to Penn State decades ago for grad school. Since then, he got married in the borough, delivered three kids at Mount Nittany Medical Center, and became well-versed in State College’s schools. Suffice to say, he understands the borough’s broad appeals. “It is absolutely a great place to raise a family, and it is a great place to retire,” Leous said. Leous is now finishing out his third term on the State College Area School Board. After telling his colleagues last summer that he will not be returning for a fourth term, they encouraged him to look into running for mayor. Ultimately, that became a factor in launching his campaign.