Director’s retirement won’t affect election, commissioners say

Despite the retirement of its longtime leader, Berks County commissioners said Thursday that they have full faith in the team at the office of election services to handle the upcoming presidential election.

“We are in good hands with the people we have in that office to see us through this election,” said Commissioner Kevin S. Barnhardt, who serves as chairman of the county elections board.

Deborah Olivieri, director of election services, announced last week that she will retire a month before the November general election after working for the county for more than 26 years.

“It’s just the best thing for me

at this time,” she told the Reading Eagle following the announcement.

Olivieri said the job has been a stressful one — particularly over the past year as she oversaw efforts to hold a primary election in the midst of a pandemic and managed the recent update of the voting machines across the county.

“I want to thank Debbie for her many years of dedicated service to our county,” Barnhardt said. “She is a dynamic woman who has done an awesome job in election services and we wish her the best in her future endeavors.”

Commissioner Michael Rivera applauded Olivieri for her dedication and commitment to ensuring that Election Day has run smoothly during her time in office.

The commissioners announced on Thursday that Chief Administrative Officer Ron Seaman will temporarily be taking the helm of election services until a permanent replacement can be found.

And, Barnhardt added, Olivieri has told the board that she’ll be around to answer any questions that arise.

COVID app

Also at the meeting, county Department of Emergency Services Director Brian Gottschall encouraged residents to download Pennsylvania’s new coronavirus exposure-notification system to thei rmobile phones.

The app, COVID Alert PA, is designed to automatically notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus, and state officials have said it does not store personal information.

The app uses Bluetooth to detect other app users nearby. If someone who was near you reports that they tested positive, the app will send a notification.

While downloading the app is voluntary, Gottshall said that the more people who use this app the more successful efforts will be to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“I want to emphasize that this app is not intruding on your privacy or tracking your location,” he said. “It’s using some really fancy technology to help us make these connections that we couldn’t otherwise make.”