Former Fort Wayne councilman Timothy Pape will replace his law partner, Andrew Boxberger, as a member of the Allen County Election Board starting today, a Democratic Party official said.

Boxberger, who had served on the board since June 2010, said he resigned so he could focus his time on other matters.

“I have a young family and a lot of work demands,” he said, adding that being a board member requires “a large time commitment.”

On Sunday, Allen County Democratic Party Chairman John Court announced that Pape had been appointed to fill the party’s seat on the three-member, bipartisan board. Republican member Zachary Klutz and County Clerk Lisbeth Borgmann, also a Republican, are the other board members.

A graduate of Georgetown University and the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Pape represented Fort Wayne’s 5th District on the City Council from 2000 to 2011. Since 2008, he has been managing partner at the Carson Boxberger law firm, where he works with Boxberger.

Pape said he hopes to promote public trust in the board and further its mission by providing equal access to all voters and organizing efficient elections.

“I’m going to take it slow and learn and listen,” he said.

The Election Board has been in the news recently as officials consider eliminating the Allen County Board of Voter Registration, an entity separate from the Election Board, and placing its duties under the jurisdiction of the county clerk. Doing so would require unanimous approval from the Election Board and the county commissioners. That issue, Boxberger said, had no bearing on his decision to resign.

The Election Board performs administrative functions of the election process, while the Voter Registration Board is responsible for processing new registrations, maintaining the voter database, corresponding with new voters, assigning voters to precincts and preparing statistical reports.

aingersoll@jg.net