Trumbull elections director reappointed

WARREN – Kelly S. Pallante has been reappointed director of the Trumbull County Board of Elections by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, breaking a tie vote by the county board.

During the March 3 board reorganization meeting, Republican board members Craig Bonar and Ron Knight voted to reappoint Pallante, a Republican, while the two Democratic members, Ralph Infante and Christ Michelakis, voted to appoint deputy director Rokey Suleman, a Democrat, to the post.

Brunner broke the tie by retaining Pallante to what is usually a two-year term.

The director is the first appointment filled during reorganization, and the director and deputy director must be of the opposite major political parties.

In her various tie vote decisions throughout the state, Brunner acknowledged several boards’ arguments that, traditionally, the party affiliation of the director mirrors the party affiliation of the secretary of state as is often the custom in counties.

Brunner, a Democrat, however, stated that party affiliation should not be the sole, determining factor in compelling an exchange of the roles of director and deputy director at a county elections board.