Commissioners look to 'retool' Westmoreland election bureau

The search for a new director of Westmoreland County’s election bureau could begin in earnest this month as officials said Monday they want to have a new leadership team in place before the May primary.

Former director Greg McCloskey retired in December, leaving a vacancy officials have yet to begin to fill as the county explores another potential revamping of the department. Structural changes put in place following the 2021 primary were prompted by the firing of the previous director and deputy director.

“We’re planning to retool the whole place,” Commissioner Ted Kopas said. “We need to be open-minded about everything because we know McCloskey took on extra duties, and it’s not fair to expect anyone else would take those on.”

Following upheaval that resulted from repeated errors and dysfunction that plagued the election bureau during the 2020 presidential election cycle, commissioners moved the election bureau into the county’s computer information’s system department. McCloskey, the longtime public works director, was assigned to oversee day-to-day operations in addition to his other duties.

It was a move that appeared to stabilize office operations in the past three years.

Commissioners said McCloskey’s retirement has forced the county to rethink how it operates the election bureau. Since December, the county has sought applications for a new deputy director for the bureau. Interviews could be held this month.

A separate director’s job is expected to be posted this winter and potential interviews to follow, Commissioner Sean Kertes said.

“We need someone with elections experience. Greg did not have that when he started out there, but he helped out in the office and understood how the machines and the process worked, from a public works standpoint,” Kertes said. “We are looking for a merit-based hire, not a political hire.”

The county’s revolving door in the election bureau is not unique in Pennsylvania. A report issued last year found 58 county election directors left their jobs since 2019. In that time, Westmoreland County has now had four full-time or interim election bureau directors.

The Westmoreland bureau streamlined its administration through the hiring of an office manager and for a short time a quality control director, a position that was later vacated and never replaced. Since McCloskey’s retirement, Scott Ross, the county’s director of computer information systems, has overseen election bureau operations.

Ross is expected to continue to serve as an interim director until a permanent replacement is hired.

Voters on May 20 will nominate candidates for county row offices, including district attorney, coroner and one judgeship. Municipal and school district seats also will be on this spring’s ballots.

“I am confident Scott Ross can continue to run the election bureau well, but we need to be mindful of the long-term future of that place,” Kopas said.