COLUMBIANA CO. Elections board starts job rotation

The director and deputy director will switch positions every two years.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- The Columbiana County Board of Elections has made its newest member its chairman and its veteran director the deputy director.
Democrat Larry Bowersock of Salem, who joined the board Thursday, was named the new chairman Monday at his second meeting.
Democrat John Payne, the director since 1993, was made the deputy director.
Republican Lois Gall was made the director. She has been deputy director since 2002 and is a 14-year board veteran.
Under the resolution, the director and deputy director's jobs will rotate between the two parties every two years. The positions have the same salary.
The chairman's position will also have to rotate every two years since by law, the chairman and director must be from different parties.
The change took effect immediately, according to Payne.
The board deadlocked last week on then-Republican Chairman Jerry Ward's bid to name Gall to the director's post.
Ward said he had been thinking about the idea of rotation for some time.
The board sought advice from the secretary of state's office, which told local officials to try again. By law, the board had to vote five times before turning to the secretary of state.
Another matter
Payne had also come under scrutiny after he advised state Sen. Charles Wilson, a Democrat, to withdraw petitions for his congressional race that did not have enough signatures. Wilson filed new petitions, but the secretary of state said state law required that the board rule on the first set of petitions. Wilson is now running as a write-in candidate.
Payne had said he would be interested in being appointed to Wilson's position. But state law prevents elections officials from being candidates for most offices.
The board started its meeting Monday with a 10-minute executive session. After the session ended, Ward said he was interested in, "what is best for the board of elections."
Ward withdrew his motion from Thursday's agenda. The four members then approved the new arrangement with no discussion.
Payne and Gall said they would continue to work together.
Ward said, "John and Lois have done a good job over the years. I'm glad to have the reorganization behind us."
Before Payne, the director had been a Democrat for many years in great part because the Republican deputy director didn't want to be director.
Dennis Johnson, the veteran Democrat on the board, said he had too many other obligations to serve as chairman.
Bowersock is retired after working at a number of jobs. When he was wished good luck as the new chairman, he said, "Thanks, I'll need that."
The board decided to discuss later a regular meeting date that is required by law.