No director, no problem: Westmoreland makes final election preparations

Westmoreland is one of five counties in Pennsylvania without a permanent election director heading into Tuesday’s balloting, but local officials insist operations have never run better.

With days before voters head to the polls Tuesday and results are tallied, the fury and confusion that plagued the county election bureau a year ago and again this spring has mostly subsided as a virtually new staff led by two interim directors worked over the past two months to prepare for Election Day.

“We’re not getting the same calls and don’t have the same concerns we did,” Commissioner Sean Kertes said. “Overall, our customer service has increased, and it just shows we now have the proper structure in place.”

It’s been a revolving door over the past 15 months for election bureau leadership. It started in August 2020 — three months before the presidential election — when Beth Lechman resigned as director. Commissioners tabbed JoAnn Sebastiani, a deputy director in the county tax office, as her replacement. A month before last November’s election, county officials fired Sebastiani’s new deputy.

That upheaval came as county staff attempted to navigate a contentious election in which record voter turnout was expected in the midst of a pandemic with new voting machines and a new process of no-excuse mail-in ballots in place for the first time across Pennsylvania.

There were delays in printing and mailing the ballots. It took days to count the votes and even longer to processes thousands of provisional ballots cast at the polls.

Problems persisted into the spring with more staff turnover and issues that resulted in one school board race being left off ballots and a district judge race being excluded from some mail-in ballots. Administrative failures prompted commissioners to temporarily assign the county’s public works director, Greg McCloskey, to the election bureau in the days before and after the primary.

In June, Sebastiani was fired. She has since sued in federal court, saying she was improperly terminated.

The office was reorganized and placed under the control of Scott Ross, the county’s computer information systems director. McCloskey continues to serve as interim director. Three mid-level managers were hired to revamp operations, including a new office manager and quality assurance manager.

The office remains without a permanent director, for now.

“Scott Ross and Greg McCloskey are top-tier department heads, and they’ve assembled a staff that’s put a little bit of ease on our concerns,” Kertes said.

Not alone

Four other counties are also operating without a full-time director, according to Ellen Lyon, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of State. Luzerne, Lebanon and Lawrence counties have deputy directors in charge. Armstrong County operates with an interim director, she said.

About 30 election directors and deputies in Pennsylvania have left their jobs since the start of 2020, Lyon said.

“It is important to note that the total includes people whose retirement was already planned or who transferred to other election jobs unrelated to the 2020 election,” Lyon said. “We are also aware of instances in which they left because of dissatisfaction with their employers or with the lack of resources.”

After an initial search this summer to fill the election bureau director position proved unsuccessful, Westmoreland commissioners opted to put hiring on the back burner.

Officials said that even without a permanent director, the county’s election bureau is far from rudderless.

“The Department of State has confidence in Westmoreland County’s election office and staff,” Lyon said. “As always, the department stands ready to assist the counties with questions about election processes and preparation. Additionally, the department provides each county with a direct liaison in our office in the weeks before an election.”

The hiring process to fill vacant election administrators has been a difficult one, said Lisa Schaefer, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. She suggested the state’s new mail-in balloting law led to much of the turnover.

“It’s a very challenging environment for a lot of people to work in, but it’s like every other industry where there is a workforce challenge,” Schaefer said.

Westmoreland commissioners said the search for a director will continue after the election, but they are pleased with the bureau’s current administration.

“This year is completely different,” said Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher. “Last year, every hour of every day there was an election issue. We don’t have a director in there now, but with Scott Ross and Greg McCloskey, we have a high level of confidence.”

Whether it’s a less-contentious election season, fewer voters seeking mail-in ballots or just better organization, the atmosphere around the election bureau is more relaxed and issue-free, officials said.

“It’s a testament to the leadership there,” said Commissioner Doug Chew. “It’s a great interim team.”