Temp to help with voter registrations

The county's registered voters have increased more than 4,000 since April.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MERCER, Pa. -- County commissioners hired a temporary employee to help process the large number of new voter registrations swamping the county elections office.
Laura Evans of Sharpsville was hired at $9.25 per hour to work part time for about one month.
After the meeting, Jim Bennington, the county's director of elections, said that as of 10 a.m. Thursday, there are 76,105 registered voters in Mercer County, compared with 71,976 in April.
The increase is because of the efforts of different groups to register new voters, Bennington said at a previous meeting.
He said Thursday that voters should expect to wait in line at the polls, but said if the lines get too long, voters will be offered the option of paper ballots.
This will delay the tally of final results but will prevent long waits, which might discourage people from voting, he added. The county has 100 precincts and only 250 voting machines, Bennington said.
Heavily populated precincts will be given extra machines, which will leave some rural precincts with only one machine.
Consolidation proposal
Bennington commented that in addition to the presidential election, the question of consolidating Hermitage, Farrell, Sharon, Wheatland and Sharpsville into a new city called Shenango Valley is expected to contribute to a heavy voter turnout.
Bennington said county voters have waited in line before.
He has asked commissioners for new machines for the last three years but was told the county can't afford them. Commissioners also approved the list of machine operators for the election. They will be paid $95 to work Election Day.
Commissioners hired Denise Potter of Poland, Ohio, as the new county law librarian at $28,266 per year. Bill Boyle, Director of Administrative Services, said there were 35 applicants and five or six were interviewed. Potter was recommended by court officials.
Commissioners also handled these matters:
UGranted retired teacher Bob McCosky a contract as driver's education instructor at $15 per hour.
UReappointed Joseph Loedding of Sharpsville to a five-year term on the Mercer County Industrial Development Authority Board.
UHired Atty. Charles Gilchrest of Sharon as a part-time assistant public defender at $23,260 per year.
UReinstated Devenie Santell as caseworker supervisor at Children and Youth Services. She had resigned to take a job in Florida, but her new job location was damaged by that state's last hurricane, commissioners said. As part of the reinstatement agreement, Santell receives no benefits during the time she was gone.