Trumbull GOP elects Creed

The new chairwoman said it’s important for the party chairperson to be familiar with election issues.

STAFF report

WARREN — Kathi Creed of Liberty, the new Trumbull County Republican Party chairwoman, has added another title: member of the Trumbull County Board of Elections.

Creed received more votes Monday night at a meeting of the party’s central committee than incumbent elections-board member Ron Knight, 22-14, and is likely to take over for Knight at the March 2 meeting.

The selection of Creed, and the Trumbull Democrats’ choice to return Democratic Party Chairman Christ Michelakis, will go to Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who makes the final decision, said Kelly Pallante, elections-board director.

In the 25 years she has worked at the board, however, Pallante said she doesn’t remember the secretary of state refusing a political party’s choice.

Creed, who became party chairwoman in November, thanked Knight for his four years of service on the board, which included a campaign to see the number of polling precincts around the county reduced to save money. Several dozen precincts were eliminated during his term.

When asked whether she will carry on the campaign, Creed said she has worked as a part-time worker at the elections board for about 12 years, including several years worth of roving, in which she traveled to polling places to correct problems with electronic voting equipment.

During that time, she discovered some of the problems that can occur when precincts are eliminated and combined with other precincts, but she said she will work to eliminate any precincts “if there is room to do that.”

Creed said her main goal as an elections-board member is to stay apprised of election-related issues that the party needs to know about.

“There are so many things that go through the board that the chairman needs to be aware of,” she said.

Creed and her husband, John, formerly ran a semi repair shop at Truck World in Hubbard.

Former Republican Party Chairman Craig Bonar has two years left on his elections-board term.