CANFIELD Panel will vote for fair board members
One candidate has been omitted from the ballot.
CANFIELD -- The Mahoning County Agricultural Society will vote for Canfield Fair Board members today amid a complaint from a would-be candidate.
Six incumbents and two newcomers are vying for seats on the county's fair board, but another would-be newcomer's name was left off the ballot after the petition he circulated to have his name added to the list of contenders was determined to be invalid.
The problem: Dion Felger of Austintown failed to sign the portion of the petition that states his intention to run for a seat on the board, and fair board members had no choice but to disqualify it, said Bob Rose, fair board secretary. The board is bound by rules set by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Rose explained.
According to Felger, it was not clear on the petition where he was to sign.
In addition, Felger said, he submitted the petition to the fair board Oct. 16, two weeks before the Oct. 30 due date, but the board failed to notify him of the problem.
But Bev Fisher, fair manager, said: "Once a petition is back, it's back. The board of elections doesn't call and tell you that you're missing a signature."
Rules are rules: She likened fair board election rules to the rules of the county's elections board.
Incumbents running for re-election include Don Booth, Joe Dickey Jr., John Hammond Jr., Lee Kohler, George Less and Don Snyder.
The two new challengers are Eugene Baringer and John Brown III.