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Trumbull elections board director to retire Jan. 31
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
The Trumbull County Board of Elections will place a help-wanted advertisement in the coming weeks for director and/or deputy director after the resignation Tuesday of Director Kelly Pallante.
Pallante, who has had the position 10 years and has worked for the board 31 years, said she is retiring Jan. 31 to spend more time with family, including two grandchildren and her parents, who live in central Ohio.
The board accepted with regret Pallante’s resignation, with Mark Alberini, board chairman, a Democrat, describing Pallante’s work as “phenomenal.”
Alberini said the director and deputy director positions will both be advertised to give the board flexibility — in the event that it gives the director’s job to Deputy Director Jodi Fiorenzo Dibble, or gives the position to someone new. Both positions pay the same.
Fiorenzo Dibble became deputy director in 2008.
Advertisements will be placed in a local newspaper for a week.
Director and deputy director must be of opposite political parties, and the director and board chairman must also be of opposite parties.
The board set a deadline of Jan. 20 for applications and will have a special meeting at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 27 to consider candidates, who may apply for director, deputy director or both.
Pallante said she supports Fiorenzo Dibble being appointed by the board to take her place because Fiorenzo Dibble has experience and because they worked so closely during their time together.
Pallante said she acknowledges that the “nature” of elections boards is politics but says she hopes politics will have no role in whether Fiorenzo Dibble is selected to replace her. Pallante is the Republican director, and Dibble is the Democratic director.
“You have certainly served the board of elections and, more importantly, the voters or Trumbull County all these years,” said board of elections member Ron Knight, a Republican.