Incumbent Warren councilman bounced from May ballot

WARREN — Eugene Mach, current 7th Ward Warren councilman, will not be on the ballot in the May primary because he did not have a sufficient number of signatures on his candidate petitions, the Trumbull County Board of Elections decided today.

Mach was one of three people whose petitions contained an insufficient number of signatures, and they were removed from the ballot. The others are Darrin Ward, who was seeking a seat in Lordstown Village Council, and William Williams, who was seeking re-election as Hubbard City Council president.

The board also set a hearing for 2 p.m. March 25 to hear testimony and decide whether to put a recall on the primary ballot for Newton Falls Councilman John Baryak. The request for recall was filed by two Newton Falls residents.

The board also agreed to ask the Trumbull County Sheriff's Department to investigate a complaint a church may have violated Ohio law by announcing from the pulpit the church would be offering food at the board of elections office for people who came to vote.

State law says it's illegal to give someone something of value in exchange for voting, elections officials said.