Who Is Niki Frenchko? Wiki, Age, Husband, Family, Education, Arrest & Charges

Niki Frenchko is a Republican politician, Army Reserve veteran, realtor, and single mother of four who serves as the Commissioner of Trumbull County, Ohio. She was elected in 2020, becoming the sole Republican on the three-member board. She has been involved in several controversies, including her arrest for disrupting a public meeting and her lawsuit against the county sheriff and her fellow commissioners.

Niki Frenchko Wiki/Bio

Birthday, Parents, and Education

Niki Frenchko was born in 1971 or 1972, making her 52 or 54 years old as of 2024. She grew up in Warren, Ohio, where she attended Warren G. Harding High School. She graduated in 1990 and joined the Army Reserve, serving for eight years.

She pursued higher education at Youngstown State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree in 1999. She then continued her studies at Kent State University, where she obtained a Master of Public Administration degree in 2002, with a focus on city management and community development/planning.

Career and Politics

Niki Frenchko began her career as a community development specialist at CT Consultants, a civil engineering firm, where she worked from 2003 to 2008. She also became a licensed realtor in 2003 and has been working in the real estate industry ever since.

She entered politics in 2020, when she ran for the Trumbull County Commissioner seat as a Republican. She faced incumbent Democrat Dan Polivka, who had been in office since 2005. She campaigned on the issues of transparency, accountability, fiscal responsibility, and economic development. She also criticized Polivka for his involvement in a corruption scandal that led to his removal as the county Democratic Party chairman in 2019.

She won the election by a narrow margin of 1,054 votes, or 0.8% of the total. She took office in January 2021, joining Democrats Mauro Cantalamessa and Frank Fuda on the board. She became the first Republican to serve as a county commissioner in Trumbull County since 2006.

Height, Weight

• Height: 5 feet 7 inch
• Weight: 52 kg
• Eye color: Black
• Body measurements: 30-28-32 inches

Spouse, Kids, Marriage

• Niki Frenchko married Andrew Tripoulas, a Warren G. Harding High School teacher, in 2003. They had one daughter together, Lola, who was born in 2004.
• She also had three children from a previous marriage: Jayda Frenchko, Lola Frenchko, and Gabriel Frenchko. Tripoulas adopted them and gave them his surname.
• In 2006, she filed a domestic violence report against Tripoulas, accusing him of grabbing her arm and breaking a video recorder. Tripoulas filed a complaint against Frenchko, alleging that she followed him in a minivan and caused a minor traffic accident. Police told them to stay away from each other.
• Niki and Tripoulas divorced in 2007, and she resumed her maiden name. They have been involved in several legal disputes over the custody and support of their children.
• Tripoulas has been vocal about his opposition to Frenchko’s political career. He attended a meeting of a group that sought to remove her as county commissioner in 2023 and said he wanted people to know about her past.

She is also an active member of her community, volunteering for various organizations and causes. She is a board member of the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, the Trumbull County Planning Commission, the Trumbull County Land Bank, and the Trumbull County Transit Board. She is also a member of the Warren Rotary Club, the Trumbull County Republican Party, and the Trumbull County Women’s Republican Club.

Net Worth

Arrest and Lawsuit

Niki Frenchko has been involved in several conflicts and disputes with her fellow commissioners and other county officials since she took office. She has accused them of mismanagement, corruption, and lack of transparency. She has also questioned their decisions and actions on various matters, such as the county budget, the jail conditions, the COVID-19 response, and the hiring of employees.

One of the most notable incidents occurred on July 9, 2020, when she was arrested by sheriff’s deputies for disrupting a public meeting. The meeting was about the appointment of a new director of the county Department of Job and Family Services. Frenchko objected to the process and the candidate, claiming that they were not qualified and that the commissioners had violated the open meetings law. She refused to stop speaking and leave the meeting room, despite being warned by the commissioners and the sheriff. She was then handcuffed and taken to the county jail, where she was charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor of disrupting a public meeting. She was released on a personal bond later that day.

Niki Frenchko claimed that her arrest was politically motivated and that her free speech rights were violated. She filed a federal lawsuit in April 2021 against Sheriff Paul Monroe and Commissioners Mauro Cantalamessa and Frank Fuda, seeking damages and injunctive relief. She alleged that they conspired to silence and intimidate her because of her political beliefs and speech. She also alleged that they violated her civil rights under state and federal law.

The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese, who issued a ruling on January 16, 2024. He granted summary judgment to Frenchko on some of her claims, finding that her arrest was unlawful and a violation of her First and Fourth Amendment rights. He also denied summary judgment to the defendants on their claims of qualified immunity and civil conspiracy. He wrote in his 81-page opinion that “Here in America, we do not arrest our political opponents.”

He also granted summary judgment to the defendants on some of Frenchko’s claims, finding that they did not maliciously prosecute her or commit battery against her. He also dismissed some of her claims as moot or better suited for state court. He ordered the parties to proceed to a jury trial on the remaining issues, such as the amount of damages and the need for injunctive relief.

The lawsuit is still pending as of January 2024. The defendants have denied any wrongdoing and have said that they will appeal the judge’s ruling. They have also accused Frenchko of being ignorant, disruptive, and unprofessional. They have said that they are trying to work with her for the benefit of the county, but that she is making it difficult and costly.

Niki Frenchko is a controversial and polarizing figure in Trumbull County politics. She is a Republican who has challenged the status quo and the establishment of the county, which has been dominated by Democrats for decades. She is also a single mother who has overcome many obstacles and adversities in her life. She is a public servant who has advocated for transparency, accountability, and economic development in her county. She is also a plaintiff who has sued the county sheriff and her fellow commissioners for violating her civil rights.

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