Recount doesn’t change vote totals

Staff report

WARREN

The recount of the race for mayor of Lordstown and councilman at large for the city of Niles have not changed the vote totals, leaving Arno Hill the winner in Lordstown and Reggie Giancola the winner in Niles.

Hill, a Republican, won the election by six votes — 746 to 740.

Giancola, an incumbent, won the third seat for at-large councilman by seven votes — 2,595 to 2,588.

Meanwhile, the Trumbull County Board of Elections on Tuesday approved sending a letter to William Batchelder, speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, arguing that the state’s plan to have two primary elections this year is wasteful.

The second election will add $255,866 to the cost of Trumbull County’s elections and more than $15 million statewide. The state has vowed to reimburse the counties for the cost of the extra election, which will be for presidential and Congressional candidates.

“If $15 million is in fact available to boards of elections, there are in our opinion much better ways for those dollars to be spent,” the letter says.