The chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party is calling for an investigation into the actions of the county elections board director who was caught on videotape making a profane gesture while discussing the independent candidacy of former Congressman James A. Traficant.
Party chairman David Betras also notes in his letter Monday to Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner that board Director Tom McCabe, a Republican, called supporters of Traficant ''crazies.''
''As a public servant, he does not have the right to call an constituent 'crazy' or to extend his middle finger to his computer to register his feelings about this of any issue,'' Betras wrote. ''At the very least, since he made a public proclamation, he should make a public apology to all the residents of Mahoning County for his ill-conceived and unprofessional remarks.''
McCabe deferred comment to Mahoning County Republican Party chairman and elections board member Mark Munroe, who called McCabe's actions unfortunate and out of line.
''I heard Tom apologize and he was right to do that,'' Munroe said, adding that voters and candidates are election board customers and should be treated with respect.
Betras made his feelings known about McCabe's actions in a two-page letter that largely dealt with a request to Brunner's office to review the processes and procedures used the elections board in light of issues surrounding Traficant's nominating petitions.
Traficant supporters began questioning the boards of elections in the 17th U.S. Congressional District - parts of Trumbull, Mahoning, Summit and Portage counties - about the number of signatures Traficant was required to collect to appear on the ballot and challenged a number of signatures that were rejected initially after it was ruled that he could be on the ballot due to a lack of valid signatures.
The board on Monday validated 31 signatures that had been rejected, putting Traficant over the top. He was previously 20 signatures short.
Betras' letter states there have been repeated missteps at the board regarding petition reviews for candidates and issues since 2008.
Most notably, Betras said, a board worker's failure to send ballot language regarding Mahoning County's half-percent sales tax to the county before the November 2009 election. Additionally, language for levies sought by Mahoning County Children Services and Mahoning County library system were not sent to those political subdivisions.
The board routinely sends the entities ballot language as a courtesy. McCabe was suspended three days and the worker, Danielle O'Neill, for five days.
Betras, not a board member, said he wants a better job done at the board.
''They are entrusted with our most sacred right, that's our right of suffrage,'' Betras said. ''I just want them to get it better.''
Munroe said there is no problem if Brunner wants to review the elections board.
''If Secretary Brunner wants to come down and look at our procedures, we welcome that and I'm confident that she will find is we have good policies in place, a well-trained, dedicated staff that sometimes has to work under difficult circumstances on admittedly controversial issues,'' Munroe said.
Brunner spokesman Kevin Kidder said the office would be reviewing Betras' request.