The Trumbull County Democratic Party’s central committee will meet June 28 to vote on changing its constitution to comply with state laws and Ohio Democratic Party / Democratic National Committee rules.

Mark Alberini, elected chairman June 7, said Wednesday: “I said that during my first 100 days the party would bring bylaws into compliance, and that will be completed by then. The central committee will vote on the changes. There could be significant changes in the party’s bylaws while staying in compliance with Ohio Democratic Party rules.”

First Vice Chairwoman Kathy DiCristofaro said, “We can’t move forward until we approve the bylaws. Our primary focus is getting in compliance.”

Trumbull Democratic Party officials were notified May 23 by Bill DeMora, ODP secretary, that its constitution had provisions that violated state law and ODP / DNC rules and that changes had to be made.

It made a couple of changes ahead of its June 7 reorganization meeting that DeMora’s email outlined, though they weren’t officially changed in the party’s constitution.

WHAT’S CHANGING

The party eliminated two provisions that DeMora said violated state law.

Those were requiring those running for the party’s principal officers to gather at least 25 signatures from central committee members to seek election to the principal offices — chair, first vice chair and secretary — and having the central committee elect a party treasurer rather than the principal officeholders appointing one.

The language changes to the party’s constitution up for a vote to be in compliance with ODP and DNC rules at the June 28 meeting include making sure the eight other vice chairs elected by region are equally divided between men and woman.

But Alberini and DiCristofaro said a vote on who will serve in those vice chairs won’t be done at the June 28 meeting, as the party needs time after that to have an election.

The party will elect 30 district members by region to the executive committee at the June 28 meeting. Alberini said the party is restructuring those regions as there are too many.

“We’re not reducing the number of district leaders, but we will reduce the number of districts,” he said. “We’ll be in compliance with ODP and take into account gender and minority requirements.”

To follow ODP and DNC rules, the party plans to eliminate constitutional provisions that gave the chairman the authority to appoint 50 people to the executive committee, Alberini said.

It also will require the 40 at-Large executive committee members appointed by the principal officers to be approved by the central committee as DeMora outlined in his May 23 email.

The chairs of the party’s 10 committees also will be appointed to the executive committee, Alberini said.

ENDORSEMENTS

DeMora also called for the party’s entire section on endorsements to be rewritten, including a voluntary $125 donation to be considered for an endorsement and the “voluntary” payment for campaign activities.

DeMora said that section violated ODP rules because “even though you state the $125 is ‘voluntary,’ common sense says that if someone doesn’t pay it, it will be used against them.”

The local party, even during the final days of Dan Polivka as chairman, was agreeable to making the changes from DeMora.

The Trumbull Democrats last updated its bylaws in 2014 to be in compliance after a clash with the ODP over violations including secret paper ballots for elections.

Alberini announced Wednesday that he has named Gil Blair, an attorney and former state House member, as the party’s new parliamentarian, replacing Jeffrey Goodman.