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LISBON -- The Columbiana County Board of Elections certified 19 Independent candidate petitions for the fall election, with Director Kim Fusco noting all were filled out properly and had enough signatures.
The board met briefly Wednesday afternoon to review the petitions and to take action on provisional ballots, accepting 10 to be added to the final official vote tally and rejecting three because the voters gave no ID or didn't produce one in the proper time.
Fusco and Deputy Director Bryce Miner also reported the office only received three additional absentee ballots in the mail.
When the votes are recounted for the official, there will only be 13 additional ballots from the 10 accepted provisional ballots and the three absentees received after Election Day.
The board will meet again at 4:30 p.m. May 19 for the official certification of the May 2 special election, with no changes expected to the results.
The Independent candidates include the following:
-- Columbiana: council, Dan Dattilio, John Yenges, and Ty Graham
-- East Liverpool: mayor, Shawn David McKinnon and Bobby Smith; president of council, John Torma; first ward council, Tom Beagle; third ward council, Jeffrey Kreefer; fourth ward council, Scott Barrett.
-- Salem: mayor, Dennis Plegge; first ward council, Steve Faber.
-- Lisbon: mayor, Dawn Thomas and Peter Wilson; council, Linda Donnalley and Zachary Smith; board of public affairs, William Hoover and Barbara Bailey.
-- Wellsville: mayor, Jack Cataldo.
For a complete list of candidates so far for the fall election, visit columbiana.boe.ohio.gov.
The Independent candidates in the communities will go up against partisan candidates.
In East Liverpool, McKinnon and Bobby Smith will battle against Democrat Darlene Kinsey in the wide-open race to replace incumbent Mayor Greg Bricker, who chose not to seek re-election.
In Wellsville, Cataldo will face incumbent Democrat Mayor Robert Boley.
In Salem, appointed Republican Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey will face a challenge from Plegge, who didn't file for re-election as a councilman. Faber, the incumbent councilman in the first ward will be challenged by Republican candidate Sara Baer.
In Lisbon, Wilson is the incumbent mayor facing a challenge from incumbent councilwoman Thomas. Zachary Smith is a newcomer who filed for the spot currently filled by Thomas.
In Columbiana, incumbent Dattilio and newcomers Yenges and Graham will vie for the three open council spots with Republican incumbent Richard Liston.
mgreier@mojonews.com