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Several Trumbull County communities that did not have anyone file for seats in some races in the Nov. 7 general election now will have to make appointments to those openings.
Stephanie Penrose, director of the Trumbull County Board of Elections, said there are several races in which no one filed to fill an opening, including:
• Orangeville clerk
• Vernon trustee and fiscal officer
• Yankee Lake village mayor and council member
• Farmington fiscal officer
• Bristol trustee unexpired term
• Newton Falls Board of Education
Penrose said in all her years at the board of elections, there always have been openings in Yankee Lake because no one files to run.
Penrose said Yankee Lake village is a smaller community, but she does not know the exact reason why residents there do not file for seats.
In West Farmington, Lorena Mooney was a write-in for mayor after incumbent Mayor Shirley McIntosh did not file her petitions correctly and was removed from the ballot.
Penrose said although there were other names written on ballots, those write-in candidates did not file for the seat, so votes for them do not count. Mooney received six votes while other write-in candidates totaled 21.
"Often, people write in a name but if that person did not file, the votes do not count," Penrose said, noting some voters will write any name, even fictitious ones.
Penrose said current Farmington Fiscal Officer Barb Scott removed her name from the ballot, leaving no other candidate.
For Newton Falls Board of Education, there was an unexpired term open, but it did not appear on the ballot.
Superintendent Justin Christopher said there was a miscommunication with the board of elections and the vacant seat did not appear.
Christopher said Julie Stimpert left the board to become a member of Newton Falls council.
He said the board appointed Carol Mazanetz-Elliott to fill the unexpired term, which ends Dec. 31.
Two other seats were on the ballot, with Teresa Oakes getting re-elected and Mark Stimpert winning a seat, but the board of education will have to fill the open seat as Mazanetz-Elliott chose to not seek re-electon.
"We had three openings on the board and only two were on the ballot," Christopher said.
In Bristol, trustee chairman Mark Webb said trustees appointed former trustee Doug Seemann to fill the remainder of the term of Ramon French, who retired earlier this year.
Because Seemann won the seat currently held by Webb, who chose not to seek re-election, he will take that four-year seat. Webb said Seemann's current seat will become vacant and trustees already have moved forward to seek applicants to fill that seat.