City hires attorneys to fill court posts

The city's first female assistant prosecutor said her new post is the 'job she always wanted.'
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Law Director Greg Hicks has hired Traci Timko Rose as the city's first female assistant prosecutor.
Hicks said Rose, 28, replaces David McLain, who left the office in January for personal reasons.
Rose will handle cases assigned in Judge Thomas Gysegem's court, Hicks said.
Nick Graham, 28, who was hired last month to replace Stanley Elkins, will handle cases in Judge Terry Ivanchak's courtroom, Hicks said. Elkins left the municipal court to accept a position with the county prosecutor's office.
"I am thrilled to have Traci and Nick working for us," Hicks said. "They are both good attorneys. Traci was an intern with us a few years ago when she was still in law school and she is quite capable."
Rose, who worked for the law firm of Ivanchak & amp; Fowler for two years, said her new post is the "job she always wanted."
"I always wanted to be a career prosecutor," Rose said. "My mom was a police officer for a number of years, and I knew growing up that I wanted to work with law enforcement."
Rose's mother, Jane Timko, a detective with the Trumbull County Sheriff's Department, retired earlier this year.
A graduate of Case Western Reserve Law School, Rose said she wanted to work at the municipal court level because "everything starts here."
Anticipating the work: "When cases first start, they go through our court and then if they are felonies they will move on to the common pleas court," Rose said. "At this level, we get to work very closely with the local police departments and I enjoy that."
Rose said she and Graham will be working together to make sure they are "accessible to the public and the police officers."
"At this level, we will have people come in off the streets to file complaints, and we want to make sure there is a set time so citizens are not coming here numerous times trying to meet with us," Rose said.
She noted that she and Graham work "very well together."
"She's the first woman and I'm the first Greek-American [city prosecutor]," Graham said with a laugh.
The two noted that they both are new parents. Rose had her first baby, a girl, in January, and Graham's son is 9 months old.
"It's good we get along because I just realized that the house we [Rose and her husband] want to buy is right across the street from the house Nick and his wife are looking to purchase," Rose said.