MAHONING COUNTY Candidate removed due to error

Kimberly Poma's new address was not typed into the election board's computer records.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County Board of Elections admits it erred when it kicked a Boardman school board candidate off the Nov. 6 ballot because she had the wrong address on her nominating petitions.
The board voted Thursday to remove Kimberly Poma of 4900 Hopkins Road from the Nov. 6 ballot because the address on her nominating petitions was not the address she has on file at the elections board office.
It turns out Poma had informed the elections board of her new address in early August and the board has a paper copy of the change on file, said Thomas McCabe, board deputy director. But the board never put Poma's new address into its computer system, which was used to determine if the addresses given by candidates were correct, McCabe said.
Error: After receiving a registered letter Friday from the board that she was no longer a candidate, Poma contacted the board and brought the error to the attention of officials there, McCabe said.
"We went through the pile of change of address forms and found it," McCabe said.
The board will vote to reinstate Poma as a candidate during its Tuesday meeting, McCabe said.
"They were very kind about it," Poma said. "They admitted they misplaced the paperwork, and they took care of it for me. When I got the letter, I was a little surprised, and I had intended to appeal it. But I called them first, and they took care of it."
Other removals: Poma was among 10 candidates, including three incumbents, removed from the Nov. 6 ballot by the elections board Thursday. The reasons for removing the other nine candidates include one candidate being too young to circulate petitions, others not signing or dating their statement of candidacy and others not having enough valid signatures.
There were no mistakes made with the nine other nominating petitions rejected by the board, McCabe said.
Those wanting to appeal the board's decision to remove them or those who wish to challenge the validity of other petitions have until 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Poma is one of six candidates running for three seats on the Boardman Board of Education. Fred Davis and Mark J. Fulks are running for re-election. The other candidates are Kenneth J. Beraduce, William Kibbel and Kurt Welsh. Board member Barbara L. Barsch is not seeking re-election.
skolnick@vindy.com