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WARREN -- Seven people seeking seats in nonpartisan township trustee and school board races will not appear on the ballot because of problems with their petitions.
The Trumbull County Board of Elections voted Tuesday to remove the candidates and certify the other candidates with valid petitions.
Removed from the ballot was Gary W. Kidd, who was seeking a seat on the Joseph Badger Board of Education; Michele E. DeProfio, who was seeking a seat on the Lakeview Board of Education; Tracie L. Allen, who was seeking a seat on the Lordstown Board of Education; Ray Dressel, who was seeking a seat on the Liberty Township Board of Trustees; Alma Griffith who was seeking a seat on the Newton Falls Board of Education; Raymond A. Agnone Jr., who was seeking a seat on the Liberty Township Board of Trustees; and Jack Finch, who was seeking a seat on the Howland Township Board of Trustees.
The board of elections also invalidated two local options -- the Champion Beach House and Bar and the Avalon South Golf Course in Howland failed to get enough valid signatures to ask voters permission for Sunday liquor sales.
Kidd's petition was invalidated because the number of signatures the petition circulator witnessed was left off his circular statement. He was seeking re-election to the board.
Petitions for DeProfio, Allen and Dressel were invalidated because the three left their circulator statements blank on all or some of their petitions. The circulator statement is supposed to have the name, signature, address and the number of signatures the circulator witnessed, according to the Ohio Election Official Manual.
Allen was seeking re-election. DeProfio and Dressel do not hold public office.
Griffith, Agnone and Finch failed to get enough valid signatures on their petitions. All three, none of whom are elected officials, were required to get 25, but Griffith was two short, Agnone was 10 short and Finch was two short. The board can invalidate signatures if the signatory isn't registered to vote in Ohio, the address on the petition doesn't match his or her voter registration, if the signature isn't valid or legible, among other reasons.
rfox@tribtoday.com