Meeting Info: Special Meeting on December 13, 2022 at 9:30 am in BOE Conference Room at 470 Center St, Bldg 6A, Chardon, OH, 44024. In-person and virtual, via Microsoft Teams. This observer participated virtually.
Agenda: an agenda was provided in advance.
Board Attendance: Present were Board members Dennis Pavella, Joan Windnagel and Janet Carson. Ed Ryder was absent. Board Counsel Corey Colombo of McTigue Colombo & Clinger joined virtually around 11:00 am, just prior to Executive Session.
Observer Comment: It was explained during the public comment portion of the meeting that Ed Ryder resigned from the Board effective December 7, 2022. Geauga GOP has until December 22, 2022 to recommend a replacement. More info below in the public comments section.
Staff Attendance: Director Michelle Lane, Deputy Director Nora McGinnis, Office Administrator Scott Daisher and briefly, staff member Laura Amick.
County Representatives: Charles Walder, Frank Antenucci and Al Keener from ADP (Automated Data Processing) participated virtually. Diane Sanko from ADP was present in person.
Public Attendance: none in person, Nancy McArthur and Sharon Gingerich virtually
Call to Order - 9:32 am
Minutes - approved for 11/8, 11/17 and 11/23, with minor spelling correction in 11/17 minutes.
Bills -approved $680.09 related to fuel reimbursement to transport equipment, security system service and office supplies.
Website Update - Frank Antenucci explained that BOE’s current website agreement expires in February, 2023. He recommends that BOE migrate to a Word Press site through ADP’s Geauga Connected Initiative, a program that outsources website construction to Company 119, a Chardon-based digital marketing company. ADP employee Diane Sanko manages website development and will support BOE during migration and construction of the new site. Estimated cost is $9,300.
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Scott Daisher confirmed this is a cloud based service that he can manage remotely if necessary and inquired about training.
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Mr. Walder explained that training and support will be available through both ADP and Company 119. The intent is to “put control of messaging in BOE’s hands.” He recommends BOE identify information typically subject to public records requests and ensure those items are accessible on the website. Minutes and campaign finance reports were mentioned.
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Scott Daisher requested that the Board provide him with input about the content they wish to see on the new website. Several comments were made about the need for voters and candidates to complete and submit various forms online. Request made for an elections calendar showing key dates from the Secretary of State. It was recommended that Scott review other county BOE websites for ideas.
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Motion passed to pursue migration/new website construction as recommended by ADP. ADP will draft an agreement which will be reviewed by BOE’s counsel and then by the full ADP Board.
Election Amendment, November 8, 2022 General Election - Michelle Lane explained that a clerical error was discovered during an internal review of processes. The error impacted one Election Day provisional voter whose ballot had been rejected as having voted twice. Mrs. Lane explained that an “authority to vote” number was incorrectly assigned to the voter by office staff, making it appear that an absentee ballot had been previously issued.
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The correction does not impact the results of any races or issues.
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The individual’s voting record will reflect that the voter participated in the election, an important factor for infrequent voters at risk of removal from voter rolls.
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Board approved the correction. Information will be forwarded to the Secretary of State.
Election Audit - at about 10:20 am Scott Daisher initiated the audit of election results, which is completed by bipartisan teams in the BOE office area. The Board and staff exited the conference room to observe the process, which is also open to the public.
Public Comment - at about 11:00 am the Board and staff returned to the conference room (audit still in process) and answered two questions from this Observer as follows:
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In response to a request for status update regarding BOE’s possible move to the new County Office Building, Mr. Pavella stated he was unaware of any activity by BOCC (Board of County Commissioners) to address the outstanding issues in either public or executive session. This Observer shared that the cost for the Fire Suppression system was listed in the 12/6 BOCC Observer Report as an outstanding BOE request.
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In response to a request for information about whether a Board resignation took place, Chair Pavella stated that Ed Ryder had resigned from the Board effective December 7, 2022 and that the Geauga Republican Party would recommend a replacement to the Secretary of State to fulfill his Board duties through February 28, 2023.
Observer Note: The Geauga GOP has until December 22, 2022 to recommend a replacement per Secretary of State Directive 2022-06, Sec. 2.01(2) Vacancies, which states “Within 15 days after a vacancy occurs on the board, the political party entitled to make a recommendation to fill the vacancy may make and file a recommendation with the Secretary of State. If no recommendation is filed by the 15th day after the vacancy occurred, the Secretary of State shall appoint a qualified person to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.”
Reviewer Note: The Board consists of 4 members, 2 from the Republican Party and 2 from the Democratic Party. Members serve 4 year terms, with 2 members elected each odd-numbered year. Proposed appointees are sent to the Secretary of State who makes the final decision. Recommendations for the term commencing March 1, 2023 must stem from a party meeting held between December 30, 2022 and February 13, 2023. For more details, see Secretary of State Directive 2022-48, Appointments to the Board of Elections in Each County for Full Terms Commencing March 1, 2023; Board’s 2023 Reorganization
Executive Session - While waiting for the post election audit to conclude, at 11:08 am the Board voted to enter Executive Session under ORC 121.22(G)(3) for the purpose of conferring with counsel about pending litigation. Mr. Colombo participated virtually and Michelle Lane, Nora McGinnis and Scott Daisher were asked to participate. The Board re-entered regular session at 12:34 pm. No action taken.
Board Action Items:
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NV5 Email Regarding Hard Keying - Michelle Lane updated the Board about a “hard keying” email received from NV5, the project manager for the new County Office Building. The board recommended she request clarification about what is being requested. They recommend taking no action until the dispute between ADP and BOCC is resolved.
Observer Note: ADP and BOCC are currently pursuing mediation through the Supreme Court of Ohio to resolve a dispute over access control systems in the new County Office Building.
Director’s Report: Michelle Lane reported:
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Staff are participating in Table Top Cybersecurity Training next week. ADP’s Zach McLeod will be involved.
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Public records requests are “coming out of our ears.”
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Staff has worked with IT/ADP on final configuration of the powerpack being purchased with security grant funds. BOE likely will need to return $673.00 of the $10,000 received as unused.
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Staff attended ALICE Active Shooter Preparedness training provided by the Sheriff’s office, where the instructor expressed concern about the configuration of basement offices in the new County Office Building, stating that there should be a “safe room.” Mrs. Lane was instructed to invite a representative from the Sheriff’s office to the January meeting for further discussion.
Observer Note: BOE and BOCC are currently in litigation over the proposed basement offices provided by the County to the Board of Elections.
Deputy Director’s Report - Nora McGinnis reported:
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She and staff have been busy with post election clean up and storage
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Although the BOE offices are closed during the last week in December, she will come in to send the NCOA (National Change of Address) file as required by the Secretary of State. Joan Windnagel will join her.
Observer Note: NCOA is part of the voter records maintenance efforts required by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. See Ohio Election Officials Manual, Chapter 4, p. 124.
Audit - staff reported that the bipartisan audit teams had completed their work and that the results were 100% accurate. Board voted to accept the results of the post election audit.
Adjournment - Meeting adjourned at 1:50 pm.
Next Meeting - Jan 19, 2023 at 9:00 am.
Approved Minutes: shared online through October 20, 2022
See BOE social media posts: https://www.facebook.com/geaugaboe
Observer: Shelly Lewis
Reviewer: Gail Roussey
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