Commissioners question election board over bonuses, hiring

In a nearly hour-long meeting on Monday, commissioners questioned members of the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections about bonus payments to elections workers in December and the hiring of an information technology worker earlier this year – actions that have raised concerns with commissioners.

On Dec. 8, the board of elections granted bonus payouts to eight election workers totaling $47,500. This year, the board hired Jeremiah Johnson as an IT employee. Johnson had formerly been a board member, but Secretary of State Frank LaRose rejected his reappointment after Johnson was found guilty in 2024 on charges of not paying sales tax related to a Sugarcreek business.

At the meeting Monday, commissioners asked how the payments were allocated and who came up with the decision on who would be paid what amount.

Board of elections member Jerry Lahmers said each board member made his or her own determination based on the responsibilities of each staff member, and the compensation was adjusted according to that.

“We don't really have an option of failure on election day, so maintaining staff and maintaining qualified staff is really a high level of what makes the board operate. That's the basis of our decision,” he said.

Board member Kathy Bachman added that election workers are underappreciated. “They are often treated with great disrespect, and they are also underpaid. We had a one-time opportunity to show them our appreciation for their sticking with us, and that's why we did it.”

Board members told commissioners that the payments were justified because the board was short-staffed at a time when the board was moving from the courthouse to a new office on East High Avenue in New Philadelphia. The payments came out of extra money in the board’s budget for salaries.

Commissioner Kristin Zemis countered that the $47,500 could have been used as carryover money in the boards’ budget, pointing out that the payouts had no basis in law, no procedures were followed and there was no documentation to support the decision.

“To me, it was a whim. You had this money. Somebody came up with the idea and said let's feed it to these employees because of last year, and that doesn't mean anything to me. It doesn't mean anything to our constituents. And if you think people aren't asking these questions, they sure are, all the time. It really sets a really bad precedent,” she said.

County Administrator Kris Lowdermilk suggested that board members waive their $600 monthly compensation for 24 months as a way that the $47,500 could be repaid to the general fund.

Board members rejected that idea. “To do that would be a tacit recognition that we did something wrong, and I do not feel that we did something wrong,” Lahmers said. “If you read the entire election official manual, everything we did was within our duties and prerogative and our responsibility to effect a proper election, a fair election, an efficient election.”

Lowdermilk said he will recommend to commissioners that all payroll information forms be approved by commissioners in a public meeting as a form of internal control. Commissioners are the budgeting authority for Tuscarawas County. However, commissioners did not see the payroll information form on the payments.

Lowdermilk then brought up the hiring of Johnson, noting that because he has been convicted of a misdemeanor, he is uninsurable as a county employee. Johnson was never mentioned by name during the meeting.

Election board Chairman Tom Hisrich responded by saying that there are likely other county employees convicted of a misdemeanor, such as a traffic offense.

“I feel that four board members should be totally responsible for the operation of the employees,” Lahmers said. “So now, he is no longer a supervisor. He is being supervised, and that lowers the level of responsibility that he has and it also lowers the bar that he has to reach.”

At the close of the meeting, Zemis, who is a lawyer, talked about what she had learned in law school.

“Very early on I learned something that had very little to do with case law, codes and statutes. It was just this one premise that I have always kept in my professional life and in my personal life as much as possible. And that is the premise that just because you can, doesn't mean you should,” she said.

She described the payment to election workers as “an end run around the budget” and said the hiring of an employee with a misdemeanor conviction puts the county at risk.

The two issues remained unresolved following the meeting.