TRUMBULL COUNTY Board rejects petitions by Bufano

Write-in candidates must fill out forms by 4 p.m. Monday.
WARREN -- Those who want Virginia Bufano as their 1st Ward councilwoman better start sharpening their pencils.
The Trumbull County Elections Board voted unanimously during Tuesday's regular meeting to reject the incumbent's petitions to have her name placed on the May primary ballot.
Bufano, however, can still run for an election as a write-in candidate. Forms for such a candidacy are available to be filled out in person at the board of elections on Youngstown Road, by 4 p.m. Monday. There's a $45 filing fee for city offices.
"I'm still not sure what I'm going to do," said Bufano, who was ill and not able to attend the meeting.
Bufano held the seat for 14 years before being defeated in 1998. She regained the seat in 2000.
Elections Director Kelly Pallante explained that Bufano, of 1422 Oakdale N.W., encountered a problem when the number of signatures a circulator said was witnessed on one page of her petition -- 14 -- didn't match the number of names on that page, which was 16. According to election laws, since the numbers didn't match, the petition was not valid.
No other Democrat or Republican filed for the seat, and independent candidates have until May 2 to file.
How it works
Hopefuls would have to get as many write-in votes as they would have needed on a successful petition of candidacy. That's 25 write-in votes for a ward race to go on to November's general election.
If there's more than one write-in candidate in a ward contest, the winner is whoever gets the most votes over 25, Pallante explained.
Other business
In other matters, the board voted unanimously not pay the annual maintenance fee to a software vendor. The vendor, Diverse Integrated Systems, Inc., of Modesto, California, has not provided adequate service, according to Pallante and Rokey Suleman, deputy director.
"We haven't provided any service because we haven't been paid our $6,800 maintenance agreement," said Don Baumer, CEO of DIS.
But, Pallante and Suleman stated that in the last two years, any problems that were encountered with the software programs were corrected by their own staff with no assistance from DIS.
The company was also hired last year to make the county's voter registration database link to the secretary of state's office. The company was paid $16,000 to provide that service and it has not yet been done, Suleman said.
Same problems
Tom McCabe, Mahoning County Deputy Director, said he is having the same problem with DIS and noted that all counties must link up with the secretary of state's office in order to be in compliance with the Helping America Vote Act.
Like Trumbull County, Mahoning County is consulting with the local prosecutor about possible legal action.
"We paid $25,000 for this company to link us up, and it hasn't happened yet," McCabe said.
Baumer said his company is still working on the project. He noted that he plans to have Huron County hooked up with the state next week.