Longtime county elections manager was ready for any situation

For 17 years, Mark Wolosik was Allegheny County’s go- to person on Election Day.

Mr. Wolosik spent almost five decades with the county Elections Division, beginning when he was in high school, and became manager of the division before he retired last fall.

Mr. Wolosik died unexpectedly Sunday at the age of 65, the county announced Tuesday. No cause of death was given.

“Mark served this county for over 48 years beginning as an employee here when he was still in high school,” county Executive Rich Fitzgerald said in a statement. “He always worked in Elections, serving the last 17 years before his retirement as the Division Manager of Elections. He prepared for and worked more than 100 elections and was never afraid to jump in to help others.”

David Voye, who succeeded Mr. Wolosik as elections manager and worked for him for 31 years, said, “He was a good friend of mine. He’s really going to be missed, not only by me, but by most of the people in this division, most of the people in this county.

“He worked here for 40some years, and he was only able to enjoy retirement for less than a year. It seems a shame. Such a nice guy deserved better.”

According to Mr. Voye, Mr. Wolosik was always “calm, cool, collected” in the face of challenges, “even if we were up to our necks in absentee applications or voter registrations.”

“There was nothing he didn’t expect. Any situation that would rise, he knew how to remedy the situation,” Mr. Voye said.

Elections divisions in neighboring counties would “call in and ask for advice,” he added.

“His judgment, temperament and knowledge of Elections was invaluable to all of us who ran for office,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “Mark was a mentor to many, and even after he retired last September, he remained a source of knowledge and a giver of advice for anyone who sought it. He could cite provisions of the Election Code by memory and knew the responsibilities of every position in the office. His idea of leaving work early was leaving on time, just another example of his dedication to this county.”

Mr. Voye remembered his former boss making an art out of predicting turnout. “He normally could come within a percentage or two. He had the ability to go, hmm, there’s extra media coverage of this race, extra hype on that, add or subtract accordingly. ... He always made an announcement at a Board of Elections meeting, and a lot of the board members waited to hear what his prediction was going to be. That was something he enjoyed.”

Mr. Wolosik set up “rotating shifts” for the 2016 presidential election registration deadline, so the office was prepared when 17,000 paper forms arrived on the last day to register. “He had everything set up. He knew what was coming,” Mr. Voye said.

Having Mr. Wolosik as a predecessor he could call on for advice was “like having pocket aces. That’s something I’m really going to miss,” Mr. Voye said.

Mr. Wolosik played classical guitar. He kept one in his office but never had time to play it there, Mr. Voye said. “I can’t tell you how many times he told me, I have to leave early today, I’m going to slip out, and then I would be walking out at 4: 30 and he was still there on the phone,” he said.

“Mark was looking forward to playing his guitars and riding his bikes in his retirement, and we know that he was doing both and enjoying spending Election Day on his deck after, of course, casting his vote,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “He continued to remain in touch with many of our employees and staff and gave of his time to provide insight and knowledge to those who have been working on a variety of projects related to the office.”

Mr. Wolosik is survived by his wife, Cheryl; his stepson, Justin; and a stepgrandson.

There are no arrangements. A memorial service will be held at a future date, according to the county.