The Trumbull County Board of Elections is expected to vote today on whether Republican Sarah Thomas Kovoor is eligible to be a candidate for a Trumbull County Common Pleas Court judicial seat though I suspect it won’t end there.

Regardless of what happens, county Republican Party officials likely look at the process of filling the vacancy with a sense of frustration, wondering what else can go wrong.

Others in the party blame local Republican leadership for not being on top of the process and seeing an opportunity possibly slip away.

One thing is apparent: Trumbull County Republicans are in need of a parliamentarian who has a clear understanding of the party’s bylaws, state election laws and Robert’s Rules of Order.

The elections board will decide if Kovoor is eligible as Ohio Revised Code Section 3513.04 and a 2014 Ohio Supreme Court decision put her candidacy in question.

The law states no one who seeks “party nomination for an office or position at a primary election … shall be permitted to become a candidate” at “the following general election for any office” with exceptions for boards of education and township trustee.

Kovoor lost a Republican primary in May for a seat on the 11th District Court of Appeals.

Kovoor insists the law doesn’t apply in her case.

The timing of Democrat Peter J. Kontos’ early retirement as a common pleas court judge seemed to catch a number of Trumbull Republicans flat-footed.

Kontos announced July 19 that he would retire July 31.

An election to replace a retired elected official is based on his or her last day in office. Because Kontos’ retirement was at least 86 days before the next election, the governor appoints a temporary replacement, but each political party nominates a candidate for the Nov. 8 ballot to serve the rest of Kontos’ term, which expires Dec. 31, 2026.

Immediately after Kontos’ announcement, county Commissioner Niki Frenchko, the party’s auxiliary chairwoman, told party officials and a staff member for Gov. Mike DeWine she wanted to discuss sending a letter to the Republican governor about appointing Kovoor.

That request was ignored.

It’s interesting that at the top of the party’s website —

trumbullohrepublicans.com — there’s a notice that those wanting to succeed Kontos had to submit required documents to the party’s judicial selection committee no later than 5 p.m. July 19.

The selection committee wasn’t formed until about two weeks later.

The July 19 date must be incorrect as it would be impossible to request, obtain and return “the required questionnaire and instructions for completion of the form” from the party by that deadline when Kontos had only announced his resignation a few hours earlier. But it’s still on the website as of this writing.

Robert Carr, the party’s first vice chairman who was interim chairman when Kontos announced his resignation, told me on July 26 the names of up to three finalists for DeWine’s appointment were going to DeWine by Aug. 2. The person selected would be the party’s nominee.

Carr then said Aug. 4 the party was slowing down the process and would have the finalists to DeWine around mid-August.

Carr was thrust into the party’s top spot with the July 17 resignation of Kenneth Kline as chairman.

Carr has since said he’s resigning as a party officer Aug. 31 because of work commitments.

Michael Bollas was elected chairman Aug. 4 and learned Aug. 11 the party had until this past Monday to get a candidate to the county board of elections in order to have that person’s name on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Bollas said Aug. 11 that the party was going to wait for DeWine’s appointment — later that day, the party submitted the names of three candidates — and wasn’t going to file a nominee in time.

A day later, party officials called a Sunday emergency meeting to choose a candidate, which turned out to be Kovoor. Party officials acknowledged the meeting was a violation of their bylaws requiring a 10-day notice for meetings. It also violated the state’s open meetings law, based on a 2017 decision from the 11th District Court of Appeals, when the party refused to allow a reporter to attend.

Trumbull Democrats were well aware of the deadline and selected Cynthia Westcott Rice, a judge on the 11th District Court of Appeals, as its nominee Aug. 11.

Skolnick covers politics for The Vindicator and the Tribune Chronicle.

dskolnick@vindy.com