Dan Roberts, former Miami Trace Local Schools Superintendent, was appointed this week as a member of the Fayette County Board of Elections.
Secretary of State Jon Husted made the appointment after the recommendation was made by the Fayette County Republican Executive Committee. Roberts will fill the unexpired term of David Bihl, who resigned in order to continue be covered by the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. Bihl had served on the local board of elections since Jan. 11, 2000.
Roberts was sworn in Wednesday by Fayette County Clerk of Courts Evelyn Pentzer.
“This is another opportunity for me to serve the Fayette County and Washington Court House community,” said Roberts, who retired as Miami Trace Superintendent in 2013. “My name was brought up as someone who had the right type of skill-set and was community-minded to fill this position. Contact was made with the Republican Central Committee and I just appreciate the fact that they thought of me. Mr. Bihl was a longtime board member and I hope I can fill those shoes capably while learning from the other board members. I’m just excited to be a part of that team and I thank them for making me feel so welcome.”
State law requires bipartisan representation on each of Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections. Each board is made up of two Republican members and two Democratic members, all of whom must be qualified electors in the counties for which they serve.
The Secretary of State makes appointments to boards of elections based on the recommendations of the executive committees of the respective county political parties. Each local board is responsible for administering local elections.
All petitions for local, legislative and congressional district offices are filed at boards of elections, as well as petitions for local issues and options. Campaign finance reports for local candidates, political parties, and political action committees are also filed at BOEs.
The Fayette County Board of Elections now consists of chairperson Judy Craig, Robin Beekman, Myron Priest and Roberts. The board of elections director is Jamie Brooks and the deputy director is Beth Ann Snyder.
“We are very pleased to welcome Dan Roberts as a board member,” said Craig. “We believe he will be an integral part of our team and we look forward to working with him in the future.”
Beekman also praised the selection of Roberts on Wednesday. “(Bihl) will be greatly missed and he did a fantastic job at the board of elections,” she said. “We also think Dan will do a great job.”
