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Trumbull elections board names new director, deputy director
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Alan Shaker, an 11-year employee of the Trumbull County Board of Elections, has been named deputy director. The former deputy director, Stephanie Penrose, was selected director.
Shaker has worked as voting-machine administrator during his entire tenure with the board. He was hired in 2005 when the elections board first began using electronic voting machines.
Shaker, 59, of Howland, worked as information technology manager at PharMor 15 years before coming to the elections board.
“I’m looking forward to getting started,” Shaker said after the elections board voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve his promotion.
He said the elections board has a challenging 14 months ahead, with a general election coming up in November and two presidential elections – primary and general – in 2016.
In addition, the elections board has four new employees replacing a similar number who recently retired, “but we have a great staff in place,” Shaker said.
He is second-cousin to Mitchell F. Shaker, who was a Trumbull County Common Pleas Court judge from 1983 to 1997 and an influential county Democratic Party leader for 23 years before that.
Alan Shaker said he can replace some of the technology expertise of Jodi Fiorenzo Dibble, the former director who resigned recently for health reasons. Fiorenzo Dibble handled many of the technology issues associated with the elections board.
But the elections board will probably still need additional information technology support because his background isn’t in network-server technology, he said.
Penrose and Shaker will each earn $57,093 annually.
Penrose, a 12-year employee, was elevated to deputy director in January after Kelly Pallante resigned as director, which resulted in Fiorenzo-Dibble moving from deputy director to director.
The change from Fiorenzo-Dibble, a Democrat, as director to Penrose, a Republican, meant that the elections board’s chairman, had to change.
The board chose Democrat Mark Alberini to serve as chairman to replace Kathi Creed, a Republican.
The deputy director and director must be of opposite parties, and the chairman and director must be of opposite parties.
“She’s been hard at work doing both positions for some time,” Creed said of Penrose serving as director and deputy director since Fiorenzo Dibble left. “We believe she’ll be an excellent director.”
“Alan has over 10 years experience, he’s a team player, proven leadership, familiar with all aspects of the operation,” Alberini said of Shaker.
“I think he’ll work well with you, Stephanie,” he said of Penrose.