Mahoning County elections official warns commissioners the elections office is "inadequate" and threatens legal action

David Beatrice, chairman of the Mahoning County Board of Elections, told the Mahoning County Board of Commissioners during public comment that the board’s office is "an inadequate building subject to catastrophic building failure" and said he was considering legal action if county officials did not resolve the problem. "We are not moving to Downtown Youngstown," Beatrice said, adding the elections board is an independent body that answers to county residents rather than the commissioners.

Beatrice said the office has sustained repeated water leaks and other problems and that staff have given the county a list of needs. "You have known that the board of elections is an inadequate building subject to catastrophic building failure," he said. He also warned the commissioners they were "on the verge of malfeasance of your job" if they failed to act and said the board might "hire a lawyer to sue the county commissioners to do your job." Beatrice asked the public to suggest alternative buildings that would accommodate elections operations.

Commissioner (unnamed) responded that staff had met with the board when asked, described a punch list and said the county would schedule further meetings to clarify needs. "When you finally asked for a meeting, we met," the commissioner said, and offered to meet personally with Beatrice and other board members to discuss requirements. The commissioners asked the Board of Elections to provide detailed specifications and potential sites so the county could evaluate options.

A resident who spoke later urged that any new location be downtown rather than in Austintown, saying an outlying site would "suppress the vote." The commissioners reiterated they were working to move projects forward and said they wanted more specific information from the elections board about space and security requirements.

The meeting produced no immediate resolution on a new facility; commissioners said follow-up meetings would be scheduled and encouraged the public to submit potential building suggestions.