Move to New Office Space is Underway; Secretary of State’s Office Expresses Concern About Water Systems in Equipment Storage Area
Geauga County Board of Elections (BOE) - Regular Meeting 07/17/2025
Meeting Info - Regular Meeting on July 17, 2025, at 9:00 am in BOE Conference Room at 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 004 (Basement), Chardon, OH, 44024. Attendance was in-person only, which is a departure from the BOE’s typical practice of offering both in-person and virtual public attendance. An agenda was provided in advance.
Public Comment Policy - The Board of Elections typically responds to questions about agenda items throughout the course of their meetings. Those exchanges are documented below as they occur.
Attendance: Present were:
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Board Chair - Dennis Pavella
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Board Member - Janet Carson
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Board Member - Richard Piraino
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Board Member - Joan Windnagel
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Director - Michelle Lane
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Deputy Director - Nora McGinnis
County Representatives: in person, Frank Antenucci, Deputy Chief Administrator & Chief Information Security Officer, Automatic Data Processing (ADP)
Ohio Secretary of State Representatives: in person, Fiona Ruminski and Dustin Russell. Mr. Russell is the new regional liaison.
Public: in person, two members of the public and this Observer.
Call to Order - The meeting was called to order at 9:00 am.
Minutes - Minutes for June 18, 2025 and July 2, 2025 were approved without edits or discussion.
Payment of Bills - Invoices totaling $7,489.30 were approved without discussion and included:
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$4,371.50 for summer conference travel reimbursement
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$2,410.12 to Logicalis for Meraki switch & router
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$450.00 to Quadient for quarterly postage meter maintenance
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$203.87 for monthly emergency cell phone contract
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$53.81 for routine office supplies
Report from ADP/Auditor’s Office - Mr. Antenucci reported that ADP staff are working diligently to move BOE systems and equipment to the new location. The current focus is on configuring network security and setting up equipment. The staff and board repeatedly expressed their appreciation for ADP’s professionalism and steady support.
Mrs. Carson asked for more information about the large storage area. Mr. Antenucci explained that quotes were being sought for installation of a waterless fire suppression system in BOE’s tech sensitive areas. He expects the quote to be about $175,000. Mrs. Carson expressed concern about the limited time to safely evacuate staff and voters, should the waterless fire suppression system activate.
Move/Operations - Mrs. Lane reported:
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They will staff both office locations through the following week. They have large sandwich boards at the old location directing the public to the new location.
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They discovered a water leak in the new women’s bathroom, and the male staff have commented that the men’s facilities are inconveniently located.
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The DS200 scanners and ExpressVote machines are currently being stored at the old offices. Bipartisan, in-house teams will relocate the equipment at a later date.
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They have received a high volume of candidate petitions for the November 4, 2025 general election.
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They will notify the public of their move through local newspapers and by mailing postcards. Details will be decided at the next meeting.
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The Secretary of State’s office completed their security walkthrough and were pleased with the camera coverage but expressed concern about the presence of overhead water pipes in the large storage area where voting equipment will be stored.
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ADP has worked out a way for the camera system to notify staff of anyone waiting in the curbside voting area.
Mrs. Carson noted that Summit County BOE recently moved and held a Grand Opening. Ms. Ruminski commented that the event was huge and included tours for the public. There was discussion about doing something similar in Geauga, possibly in September.
Declare Valueless - The board reviewed the staff’s listing of valueless office equipment and voted 4-0 to allow for proper disposal. They opted to retain their copy of the Ohio Revised Code.
Regional Conference - Mrs. Lane stated an agenda for the conference is still not available but shared updated information about the event. It was agreed that the Board, Director and Deputy Director will attend.
Director’s Report - Mrs. Lane reported:
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She has been overseeing the move.
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New envelopes have been ordered with the new address.
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She was informed by Geauga Park District (GPD) Executive Director John Oros that GPD plans to file a levy.
Mr. Pavella inquired about the availability of the Russell Township Community Center as a polling location for the November 4, 2025 General Election. Mrs. Lane indicated they still did not have a commitment from the township trustees.
Deputy Director’s Report - Mrs. McGinnis reported:
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She has been busy packing/unpacking and overseeing staffing between the two locations.
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The ladder for the large storage area is ready for delivery.
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She is working with Ron Leyde in the Auditor’s Office on a resolution to create a fund to account for the SOS security grant. Ms. Rine at the Geauga Prosecutor’s Office found the previous resolution to be insufficient.
Public Comment: This Observer inquired about the meaning of “tech sensitive areas.” Mr. Pavella led those in attendance on a brief tour of the new office space, identifying these tech sensitive areas:
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Election Programming Room (contains ballot creation and tabulating equipments; poll pads are also stored here)
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Ballot Room (ballot storage)
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Large Storage Area (will contain DS200 scanners and other voting supplies/equipment)
Certification Meeting: The board agreed to a Special Meeting on August 14, 2025 at 9:00 am to conduct general business and to consider candidate and issue petitions for the November 4, 2025 General Election. The regular meeting scheduled for August 21 was canceled.
The meeting adjourned at 11:07 am.
Next Meeting: August 14, 2025 at 9:00 am
Observer: Shelly Lewis
Editor: Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: August 14, 2025
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