ATHENS, Ohio — The Athens County Board of Elections held a brief organizational meeting Wednesday, March 5, to welcome a new board member.
Per recommendation of the Athens County Democratic Party Central Committee, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has appointed party chair Lauren Dikis to replace Kate McGuckin, whose term ended Tuesday, Feb. 28. Dikis said the party appointed her at its regular meeting in January.
“I think that elections are incredibly important and making sure that Athens County has free and fair elections is critical,” Dikis said.
The board is composed of four appointees, two from each political party.
At its Wednesday afternoon meeting, the board also selected Republican Aundrea Carpenter-Colvin to serve as chair, replacing Democrat Sky Pettey.
Republican Gary Van Meter retained his appointment, which expired Feb. 28, too; like Dikis, his term will end in 2029. Carpenter-Colvin’s and Pettey’s terms expire in 2027.
Additionally, longtime board employees Debbie Quivey and Tony Brooks II swapped titles: Brooks will now serve as director, and Quivey as deputy director. Quivey has served as director for the past two decades.
Brooks became emotional as he thanked the board for his appointment as director. The work is personal for him, as he carries on his mother’s legacy of being a lifelong public servant. Penny Brooks worked at the board for more than three decades, including serving as deputy director. Tony replaced his mother in that position in 2020 after her passing.
“Thank you for the board entrusting me to be director,” Tony Brooks said at the March 5 meeting. “It’s been a long road, and I think today I’ve made my mom proud … Thank you, Debbie, for entrusting me with this job, and just making sure that I have the guidance that I need to really succeed, and the support from the board is overwhelming for me.”
Quivey recounted her first day at the office over 30 years ago. “I walked in here in 1992 and I said, ‘I will retire a clerk. I will never hold a top position.’ And in 2006, boy was I wrong,” she said.
Quivey thanked the board for her deputy director appointment. “I’ve been appointed 10 times as the director. This is the first time as deputy director, but it’s time, so I would like to thank you,” she said. “It’s been a pleasure, and it’s going to continue to be a pleasure, and I think I’m gonna enjoy my new role.”
The board’s employees also took oaths of office on Wednesday, with Chair Carpenter-Colvin administering. The board employs six full-time workers, including its directors.
The Athens County Board of Elections meets the third Wednesday of each month at 3:30 p.m. in the board office, 15 S. Court St. #130, Athens. Its next meeting will be March 19.
Clarification: A previous version of this article stated that the Democratic county executive committee appointed Dikis; it recommended Dikis, whom Secretary of State Frank LaRose appointed (not the committee).
