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Westmoreland County Commissioners Appoint New Elections Director
Posted
12-28-2006 The Westmoreland County Board of Commissioners today named James Montini
as Director of the County's Elections Bureau. "Since the
advent of computerized voting has made conducting an election much more
technical, it only makes sense that we have a person with the necessary
technical proficiency to lead our Elections Bureau," said Commissioner Tom
Balya. "Jim Montini brings a wealth of hands-on expertise with computerized
voting. He is also a problem-solver and decisive manager who can effectively
coordinate the election process, and Election Day in particular."
"Jim Montini has really been the backbone of the election process since the
county was mandated to switch to computerized voting," said Commissioner Tom
Ceraso. "He knows the iVotronic machine and software better than anyone in
county service, and by working with the Bureau during the last election
cycle, he has quickly learned the necessary administrative functions of the
office." As Elections Director, Jim Montini oversees the
office responsible for conducting elections, coordinating polling locations,
processing voter registration and compiling candidate campaign finance
statements, among other duties. He manages a nine-person staff with an
annual operating budget of about $850,000. Montini, 47, is a
graduate of California University of Pennsylvania and has worked for
Westmoreland County's Information Systems for 21 years. Prior to his
appointment as Elections Director he served as a Technical Support Analyst.
Throughout 2006 -- the first year of federally mandated computerized voting
systems – Montini was tasked to the Elections Bureau to oversee the switch
to touch-screen voting. During both the primary and general elections he
prepared the iVotronic machines and software, and coordinated Election Day
support. A Westmoreland County native, Montini lives in
Hempfield Township with his wife and teenage daughter.
Montini replaces Paula Pedicone of Jeannette, a 33-year veteran of county
service, who recently announced her retirement as Elections Director -- a
position she held for 12 years. The Commissioners also have
named Beth Lechman of Latrobe as Voting Systems Coordinator. Lechman has
worked for County Information Systems since 1997, most recently serving as a
Systems Management Supervisor, and also played a key role in the conversion
to computerized voting. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of
Assistant Elections Director Charlotte Sartoris, also of Latrobe.
"We wish Paula Pedicone and Charlotte Sartoris well in their retirements and
thank them for their service to the county, especially during the switch to
computerized voting," Commissioner Balya said. "As we move forward in this
new voting age, I am confident that Jim Montini and Beth Lechman are the
right team to lead Westmoreland County." For more information
on the Westmoreland County Elections Bureau, including demonstrations of the
iVotronic, visit
www.co.westmoreland.pa.us (keyword: elections) or call 724-830-3150. |
