Thomakos announces candidacy for judge

Tuscarawas County attorney Steven G. Thomakos announced his candidacy for Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court judge in the General Trial Division. A member of the Republican Party, Thomakos seeks the seat currently held by Judge Edward E. O’Farrell.

“I am running for this seat because I believe my 32 years of practicing law and extensive background in a variety of legal disciplines makes me the most qualified candidate,” said Thomakos, age 57 of New Philadelphia.

Having served six years on the board of directors for Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services, Thomakos has seen the rise of substance-use disorders throughout the county.

“I have seen how drug infiltration has poisoned our residents. If elected, I will make it my mission to start another specialized docket to enhance the valuable work started by my wife, Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos. I am ready to do my part to combat the problem and rehabilitate the addicted,” he said.

Thomakos has been self-employed since 1990 as a general practice attorney with focus in litigation. He opened an office in New Philadelphia in 1993. Thomakos previously served in the Stark County Public Defender’s Office, litigating exclusively criminal and juvenile matters. In 1988 Thomakos began a two-year term of service as a staff attorney with Court of Appeals Judge John R. Milligan, preparing memorandum of law on a variety of issues coming before the court.

“I have thought about this for quite some time. It is a hard decision to leave the practice I have built over the years; however, the time is right. I have worked for a judge on the second-highest-level court in Ohio, and I have observed up close what I believe to be the gold standard for judges, my wife. Both have prepared me for this job, and I am ready,” Thomakos said.

Thomakos is a former president of the Tuscarawas County Bar Association and a former adjunct professor at Kent State University-Tuscarawas. Thomakos is currently a member of the Ohio Association for Justice, a professional organization for trial attorneys.

Thomakos was admitted to practice in Ohio in 1987; has been admitted to practice in the U.S. Appellate Court, Sixth Circuit and the Federal Court for the Northern District of Ohio; and has argued cases before the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Thomakos earned his law degree from the University of Akron School of Law and his Bachelor of Science degree in business from West Virginia University. He and Elizabeth, his wife of 32 years, have four children, Dillon (Lillian) Thomakos, Spencer Thomakos, Olivia Thomakos and Cameron Thomakos, and one granddaughter.