Salary set for new assistant director of elections
The Butler County Bureau of Elections now operates with both a director and assistant director.
At a Monday salary board meeting the Butler County Commissioners approved a salary of $46,573 for the assistant director position, which has been filled by Jade Bowers.
Bowers had risen through the ranks of the office and said she is delighted to get to work.
“I’m pretty excited, I enjoy the work we do in the office,” she said.
Bureau of Elections director Chantell McCurdy said Bowers started in her new role on Jan. 3.
“(Bowers) is extremely organized and unbelievably positive,” McCurdy said. “She’s been in our office since 2020 and has seen every level of (it).”
The salary board created the position last year, McCurdy said, after other surrounding counties were creating similar roles in elections offices.
“One issue is that all the knowledge for election falls on one person. Other counties were creating a secondary person to assist the director, so no office is beholden to a single individual,” she said.
Bowers said she started in the bureau as a temp in September 2020, then was brought on full-time as a registrar in March 2021. After a brief stint in the IT department, she returned to the elections office as their assistant director.
“I think (her experience) is really helpful,” McCurdy said.
Within her new role, Bowers will oversee ballot preparations, working closely with the Department of State and equipment companies. She will proof and build ballots, supervise office duties and go before the county commissioners if need be.
Bowers said she’s most excited to get the office running efficiently.
“I really want to improve the process of each election. Being here since 2020, it’s crazy how much has changed. I love trying to get things organized and make sure processes are done correctly and in the best way possible.”
