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WARREN -- With no candidates filing for the two open seats on the Warren school board, the positions will be filled by write-ins.
Two write-in candidates filed by Monday's deadline for the board seats: incumbent Patrick Flanagan Sr., who didn't initially seek reelection, and Kevin Stringer, community engagement coordinator for the Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership and a former coordinator for family engagement at the Warren City School District.
Mecca Trustee Dan Galbincea wasn't certified by the Trumbull County Board of Elections at its Aug. 14 meeting because he didn't fill out the circulator's statement on his nominating petition, which is considered a fatal flaw under state election law. That left incumbent Trustee Christen Clemson as the only candidate for the two seats on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Three candidates filed Monday as write-ins for Mecca trustee: Randy Lytle, Thomas Domes and Darryl Black. All three sought the appointment last year to an unexpired term. Clemson and Galbincea appointed Greg Chopko to that unexpired seat from 12 who sought it.
Champion didn't have anyone file for the unexpired township trustee term held by Dean Richard York. The term expires Dec. 31, 2027, with York appointed in August 2024.
Three candidates -- Thomas Jeffers, Reginal Rooks Jr. and Dustin Templeton -- filed as write-ins for the seat. Of the three, Templeton was the only one who sought the appointment to the open seat last year.
The Mathews school board has three seats open during the Nov. 4 election, but had only two candidates file to have their names on the Nov. 4 ballot. David A. Wise filed to run as a write-in candidate.
The board of elections will meet Wednesday to certify write-in candidates.
At that meeting, it will reconsider the candidacy of Adam Rogers for Braceville trustee.
The board didn't certify Rogers at its Aug. 14 meeting because he didn't have enough valid signatures. Rogers turned in petitions with 26 signatures. He needed 25 valid to qualify and the board certified 22 signatures.
But at least three people who signed his petitions printed their names rather than use their signatures. Rogers told board employees he has affidavits from at least three people who printed their names on his petitions saying they signed them, said board Director Stephanie Penrose. If he can provide those affidavits, the board will vote to put Rogers on the ballot.
Also requesting to be certified is Tim Gilliland, who filed for Hubbard Township trustee.
The board at its Aug. 14 meeting didn't certify Gilliland because he signed and dated his petitions after signatures were collected, which is considered a fatal flaw under state election law.
Gilliland also printed his petitions at home and had one front page with his statement of candidacy and three back pages to his petition. Each petition submitted must have a front and back page.
The board only declined to certify Gilliland because of the issue with not signing and dating his petitions. The board will consider Wednesday not certifying Gilliland for the other reason as well, Penrose said.
In an appeal letter, Gilliland wrote he would present evidence that "not only was my signature on the statement of candidacy before any signatures were affixed, but also my complete statement was filled out on the PDF form and printed from the printer and not handwritten. The date was simply affixed while going through the checklist when I turned in my petition and I put that date on it so as to not misrepresent myself and backdate it."
The board on Wednesday will "review, consider and (possibly) vote on reasons for rejection of the petition of Tim Gilliland," according to its agenda. That means the board will likely not certify Gilliland for not having statements of candidacy with each petition.
A Sept. 3 hearing is set for Gilliland's appeal.
The board on Wednesday will determine if a hearing will be held for the protest of Rachael M. Rankin's candidacy as a member of the Newton Falls school board.
Incumbent school board members Amie F. Crowder and Tonya Kline filed the protest stating Rankin's job as dean of students for the Trumbull County Career & Technical Center "is in direct incompatibility as deemed by the ethics laws of the state" to run for Newton Falls school board.
The career and technical center is an extension of the Newton Falls school district so state law doesn't permit Rankin to run for the latter's board of education, reads the letter from Crowder and Kline.
The board on Wednesday will determine if it will even consider the protest.
Write-in Candidates
The following filed with the Trumbull County Board of Elections by Monday's deadline to be write-in candidates in the Nov. 4 general election. An * denotes incumbents.
WARREN
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Patrick Flanagan Sr.*
Kevin Stringer
CHAMPION
TRUSTEE (Unexpired term ending 12/31/2027)
Thomas Jeffers
Reginal Rooks Jr.
Dustin Templeton
GIRARD
COUNCIL AT LARGE
Mike Costarella
GREENE
TRUSTEE
Robert Roper
MATHEWS
BOARD OF EDUCATION
David A. Wise
MECCA
TRUSTEE
Randy Lytle
Thomas Domes
Darryl Black
SOUTHINGTON
TRUSTEE
Owen Richard Chambers
VIENNA
TRUSTEE
Scott Wiseman