Bethesda Resident is New Board of Elections Member
Belmont County Board of Election’s newest board member was sworn in recently by fellow board member Michael J. Shaheen as she takes the place of a former longtime respected member who died in June.
Teresa Schafer, Bethesda resident and Belmont County native, fills the unexpired term of former member Frankie Carnes, the county’s longest-serving board member.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose appointed Schafer in July after she was nominated to the position by the Belmont County Republican Party. Her term will end Feb. 28, 2027.
She joins two Democrat board members, Michael Shaheen and Walter Longshaw, and Republican board member, Lois Doneson.
Schafer said she needs to learn a lot in her new role in the next few months. She noted she’s going to do a lot of listening and learning so she can be an informed board member before the upcoming November General Election.
“I want to make sure that every voter feels confident their vote counted in the way they wanted it to,” she said. “I want to be impartial. I want to support innovation, and I want to uphold the integrity of every election that we oversee.”
Schafer served on the board for a couple of years in the 1990s and as Goshen Township fiscal officer for 36 years, before retiring in 2020. She’s always been interested in politics and in the process, she said.
Schafer will continue her education by attending a mandatory class at the Secretary of State’s office next week to meet the requirements for new board members.
Schafer emphasized she knows she has big shoes to fill for Carnes, who was a dedicated, respected and knowledgeable board member, but she is looking forward to the challenge.
“I just want to make sure our elections are accurate and fair,” she said. “That’s what’s important to me.”
Deputy Director Kamron Chervenak said Schafer provides a lot of background in terms of her public service.
Chervenak added she’s looking forward to working with Schafer on a professional basis.
“I think she’ll be a great asset here to the board,” Chervenak said. “It will provide a lot of growth and keep us in the same direction as far as elections being safe, secure, accurate and fair here in Belmont County. So she will continue the same mission.”
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