Weston County GOP committee forwards three nominees for county clerk amid election-integrity debate

At a special meeting of the Weston County Republican Central Committee, members voted to forward three nominees — Michael Toomin, Patricia ("Tricia") Baumann and Stanley Jasinski — to the county commissioners for appointment to the vacant Weston County clerk’s office.

The committee, which convened to produce the three names the commissioners will consider, approved floor rules, set a five-minute opening-statement limit for each candidate and rejected a motion to make ballots anonymous (the committee kept the existing signed-ballot practice). Members also voted to sequester candidates during interviews. After the four candidates gave opening remarks and answered questions about elections, budgeting and office management, the tally read by the chair showed Toomin with 20 votes, Baumann 14, Jasinski 14 and Amber Prowl 10; the top three names will be forwarded to the county commissioners.

The selection matters because the county clerk is the head election officer for the county and must move quickly to prepare for upcoming election deadlines. Patricia Baumann, who identified herself as "Tricia," framed her candidacy around restoring public trust and compliance with election statutes. She told the committee she would only pursue a hand count in 2026 if four conditions were met: a binding written directive from the secretary of state; a written guarantee from the local GOP of volunteer support; no legal injunction from the attorney general or legislature; and a county-commissioners’ commitment to fund the effort. "I will not test the law. I will not break the law," Baumann said.

Mike Toomin emphasized his long experience running elections and described the clerk role as a nonpartisan, service-oriented post. He raised technical concerns about the county’s tabulation equipment and said protecting election systems requires air gaps and robust testing. "I really believe that the clerk's position is not a political position. I think it is nonpartisan and should be," Toomin said, adding his first priority would be readying the office for the coming election.

Amber Prowl, the acting clerk and a four-year office employee, highlighted cross-training in payroll, land records and elections and said she would seek outside help and training where necessary. She declined to discuss details of the prior election’s problems because of an ongoing criminal investigation but said she would admit and fix mistakes. "If a problem happened and it was brought to my attention, I would fix it," Prowl said.

Stanley Jasinski argued for returning to hand counts, described the county’s tabulation machines as costly and vulnerable, and urged greater public outreach and transparent testing. He cited contract terms he said allow a buyback of machines and contended the county could both improve transparency and reduce costs by moving away from machine tabulation.

Committee business before the interviews included a debate over whether ballots should remain signed as a transparency measure or be made secret to guard against "peer pressure." A motion to remove the floor rule requiring voters to sign ballots was defeated; the chair said ballots and records remain part of the public record and would be available for inspection.

The committee’s formal action: after distributing 21 ballots and counting votes with a teller committee appointed by the chair, the committee announced the three names it will forward to the county commissioners for final appointment. The commissioners will make the final selection and the chair reminded members that the chosen interim clerk will face immediate deadlines for election preparation and the budget process.

The committee closed with a prayer for wisdom as the commissioners consider the nominees. The clerk’s office vacancy, the incoming election workload and unresolved questions about machine security and ballot procedures mean the commissioners’ decision will have immediate operational consequences for Weston County’s 2026 election preparations.