Attorney Steven Thomakos is running to replace Edward O'Farrell as Tuscarawas County's next Common Pleas Court judge. 

NEW PHILADELPHIA - A private attorney who’s been practicing for more than 25 years in Tuscarawas County is now hoping to join his wife on the bench.

Attorney Steven Thomakos recently announced his candidacy to replace Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court Judge Edward O’Farrell when he steps down in 2021. Thomakos is married to Tuscarawas County’s other Common Pleas Court judge, Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos, who oversees the county’s drug court program. He says seeing the impact she’s been able to make with that program is part of what inspired him to run. 

“Ultimately, for me, it’s the idea of helping folks on a grander scale that really appeals to me. I enjoy the practice of law. I enjoy helping people who can’t help themselves but I think that I can do it on a bigger stage, helping more people,” he says.

Thomakos says if elected, he would do everything in his power to address the drug problem for the sake of the next generation. 

“I’m a father of four, a grandfather of one. I think of my children every single day, every single hour, and I know from talking to my wife how bad the drug problem is getting despite the yeoman efforts of the police force, it’s still coming in, and it’s hard to stop,” he says.

Thomakos says his work handling Social Security disability cases has also highlighted the need for a second specialized docket for individuals struggling with mental health issues. 

“It’s something that I thought would be great for our county, especially because I deal with so many disabled people on a daily basis, and a lot of the times, it’s emotional problems that are the root,” he says. 

Thomakos served for six years on the local ADAMHS Board. He’s a former adjunct professor at Kent State University at Tuscarawas and is a past president of the Tuscarawas County Bar Association. He is running next November as the Republican candidate for the position, going up against Tuscarawas County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Mike Ernest. 

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