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Elections board removes land bank member from elections rolls over residency
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
The Trumbull County Board of Elections has removed Marlin Palich from the voter rolls after a hearing Tuesday regarding whether he lives at 211 Cricket Lane in Cortland, which he uses as his voting address.
Palich, president of the Warren-Area Board of Realtors and a member of the Trumbull County Land Bank and Trumbull Transit Board, did not attend the hearing. But Niki Frenchko, who brought the complaint to the elections board, did testify.
The letter sent to the 211 Cricket address informing Palich of the meeting came back to the elections board as undelivered, elections officials said.
At the hearing, Frenchko provided a document from Cortland officials indicating Palich turned off the water to the 211 Cricket Lane home July 23, 2015. Frenchko said she believes Palich has not lived there in “at least four years.”
Palich did not return multiple messages Tuesday seeking comment.
Another document Frenchko provided was an April 15 resolution by Cortland City Council declaring the Cricket Lane home “abandoned and presuming it a nuisance.” The resolution says “it appears to the city that the property owner has abandoned the property and failed to maintain and secure the dwelling on the property.”
Frenchko also provided documents showing the property was $6,298.53 behind on property taxes Dec. 27, 2018.
But Trumbull County Treasurer Sam Lamancusa, who is Trumbull County Land Bank president, said Palich told him he did not realize the property taxes were not being paid until Frenchko raised the issue.
Lamancusa said Palich then got on a 10-payment, every-six-month payment plan to pay the back taxes and is now current through this August.
Frenchko said one reason she challenged Palich’s residency is it’s unethical for someone to give a false voting address.
Stephanie Penrose, Trumbull elections board director, said Palich would be free to re-register to vote at a different address. She said removing Palich from the voting rolls does not impact the results of earlier elections in which Palich voted.
The elections board also certified the results of the May 7 primary election except for a renewal levy for McDonald schools that passed by just two votes, qualifying it for an automatic recall. The 4.3-mill, 5-year renewal levy for permanent improvements would raise $225,822 annually.
It was approved 244 votes to 242 votes, a difference of only 0.42 percent. An automatic recount is required for any result that is closer than 0.5 percent. The elections board will conduct the recount at 10 a.m. June 4 at the board offices.