Tuscarawas County’s administrator has asked the four-member Board of Elections to give up their monthly stipends for two years to pay back bonuses they awarded to eight staff members last year.
Administrator Kris Lowdermilk made the recommendation after County Commissioner President Kristen Zemis chastised the Board for what she called an arbitrary use of public funds.
“You can’t tell me why you decided to pay one employee this and one employee another. You can’t tell us what job description or what responsibility changed from one election to another, so to me it’s just an arbitrary use of public funds which should have been carried over for next year.”
Elections Board member Jerry Lahmers said they would not reimburse the county $47,500 with their $600 monthly pay because they don’t believe they did anything wrong.
“Everything we did was within our duties and prerogative, and our responsibility to a proper, fair and efficient election. To even consider something like that was to admit we did something wrong and I don’t think, personally, the board feels we did anything wrong.”
Board members, including Kathy Bachman, said they believe the one-time payments were justified.
“They are under appreciated. They are often treated with great disrespect, and they are also under paid. We had a one-time opportunity to show them our appreciation for sticking with us and that’s why we did it.”
The Commissioners also reiterated their objections to the board’s hiring of IT Director Jeremiah Johnson, who was hired after the Secretary of State ruled him ineligible to serve on the Board of Elections because of misdemeanor tax crimes related to a business. Lowdermilk asked the Board to assume the liability for Johnson, but they declined, saying that would be an issue for legal counsel.
Zemis noted their objection was not about the person but the hiring process.
“It’s a financial crime. When you have those things, you have to worry about dishonesty. I’m not saying he would behave that way, but you have to worry about mistakes. You have to worry it and as an employer you know all that, and why would you hire somebody like that and why would you put us at risk. You put the county at risk; you put more tax dollars at risk.”
Elections Board Chairman Thomas Hisrich said he would not comment following Monday’s meeting. He said if the situation goes to court, he will comment then.
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