Deputy director promoted at Trumbull elections board

By Ed Runyan | January 28, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

WARREN

The Trumbull County Board of Elections elevated its deputy director to the top spot and picked a 12-year employee to serve as deputy director during a board meeting Tuesday.

Jodi Fiorenzo-Dibble, a Democrat, deputy director since 2008 and a 22-year employee, was unanimously voted director.

Stephanie Penrose, a Republican and 12-year board employee who has been tabulation-system administrator since 2005, was elected 3-1 to be deputy director. Director and deputy director must be of opposite parties. Both make $57,093 per year.

Board member Ralph Infante, a Democrat who also is Niles mayor, voted no on the Penrose appointment because he preferred another candidate, he said.

Since Fiorenzo-Dibble, the director starting Sunday, is a Democrat, the board of elections elected Republican Kathi Creed to be board of elections chairman. The director and chairman must be of opposite parties.

Eleven Democrats, nine Republicans and five non-party individuals applied for the jobs. Director and deputy director are paid the same amount.

The opening at the top was created by the announcement Jan. 6 that Director Kelly Pallante is retiring Saturday to spend more time with family.

As tabulation-system administrator, Penrose programs the election ballots and tabulates the votes on election night as well as handling election questions and issues on the ballot.

Board member Mark Alberini, a Democrat, said it was obvious that Fiorenzo-Dibble would be named director because of her experience, and he deferred to the Republicans to fill the vacant Republican position as deputy director.

But there was not unanimous agreement among the Republicans as to who should get the position.

Randy Law, Trumbull County Republican Party chairman, said the selection of Penrose was an “incompetent decision” by Creed, who he said he expects to lose her board-of-elections seat when her current term expires.

Law said he didn’t like the decision because he felt Penrose was “one of the least-qualified people among the applicants.”

Penrose said she had no response to Law’s remarks.