Reporter to be elections director

Greenburg will also be the public information officer.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MERCER, Pa. -- A local newspaper reporter will be the county's new director of elections and registration and also will handle the position of county public information officer, Mercer County commissioners announced.
Jeff Greenburg, 46, of Shenango Township, will replace Dr. Thomas Rookey who announced his retirement effective this month. Rookey's last day is Friday, but he has agreed to continue on a part-time basis to train his successor.
Commissioners said Tuesday that Greenburg was their unanimous choice for the job. He will assume the post Jan. 29.
They said they will announce his salary when he is formally hired at the next commissioners meeting. The county has not had a public relations officer since 1996, but commissioners said they have seen a need for someone to explain county government to the public.
Commissioner Brian Beader said Greenburg is well suited for the job because "he has covered stories for years and has a good understanding of all aspects of county government."
Covered elections office
Greenburg became familiar with the elections office by covering it during the disastrous November 2004 general election in which electronic voting machines malfunctioned and were eventually decertified for use in Pennsylvania.
Greenburg said, "I believe through my writing I have served as a watchdog of sorts for Mercer County voters. This opportunity will allow me to continue as a watchdog in an even more involved manner."
He said he hopes to foster communication between county government and the public as public information officer.
Greenburg has worked for the Sharon Herald since 1992, most recently as its courthouse reporter. He appears regularly on WPIC's "Ron Errett Show" to discuss politics, and he also announces high school basketball, football and wrestling games for WPIC, based in Sharon. He also had worked for the former WWIZ in Hermitage.
A Hickory High School graduate, he received a bachelor's in history and political science from John Carroll University in 1982, then studied communications at Youngstown State University from 1990 to 1992.
Greenburg is on the board of the Keystone Blind Association and was one of the founding members of First Tee of Sharon, an organization devoted to introducing golf to low-income people. He also coaches youth soccer for the West Middlesex Youth Soccer Association. He and his wife, Bobbi, have two children.