Westmoreland County Election Bureau Director Suspended By Commissioners
GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- The director of the Westmoreland County Election Bureau has been suspended by the county commissioners.
Leaders are not saying why Joann Sebastiani has been temporarily relieved of her post, but the county election bureau has been under scrutiny over the last year.
Sebastiani was on the job for 10 months before her suspension with pay. Whether she will be reinstated remains to be seen.
Sebastiani's suspension is the latest of moves in a challenging year for the county election bureau. There was a coronavirus outbreak inside the office, and a large number of workers quit, with some citing dissatisfaction with the work environment.
The commissioners are not talking about why they agreed this week to suspend Sebastiani.
Under her watch, the county managed to get through the general election. However, in the days leading up to the recent May primary, people received improper ballots. The county had to overnight new ballots.
Add that to this week's discovery of 14 primary races with delayed certification because the election bureau failed to include write-in winners among the final results.
KDKA did confirm Acting Public Works Director Greg McCloskey is handling Sebastiani's duties for now