Sue Graham, administrative assistant for District Judge Wayne Seibel in Evans City, is retiring in March after 43 years on the job. She has worked with eight district judges.

EVANS CITY — Sue Graham has seen many changes in the county's judicial system after working with eight district magistrates over 43 years.

She's worked at the district judge's office in Evans City since 1980, during which she's served under four judges. District Judge Wayne Seibel will be her last as she will retire in March.

As an administrative assistant to these judges, Graham often presided over the daily routine that kept the offices running smoothly. She filed case work into databases, wrote checks to the state's Department of Revenue and municipalities and helped schedule preliminary hearings.

After dealing with thousands of clients and cases, attorneys and police, Graham said it's not hard to pinpoint which aspect of the job she'll miss the most.

“The people I work with, that's what I'll miss the most,” she said. “In this job you meet lots of different people. The attorneys and even the clientele, everyone's different. It's been very interesting and very informative.”

A lot has changed since 1968, the year she started working for the Butler County Bureau of Elections.

The correlation between an increasing population and crime in the area is one noticeable change, Graham said.

However, the biggest change has been the use of computers that completely changed most aspects of her job.

When she started working for district judges part-time back in 1970, criminal complaints were typed manually and there was no electronic database. That all changed, she said, when computers became more prevalent.

Just last year, she said, the state imposed a new, complex computer program that required intense training.

Implemented almost a year ago, Graham said many of her co-workers still struggle with the new system, which strives to create a comprehensive case management system that serves all district judges in the state.

The shift to move everything onto the Internet has been stressful, Graham said, and played a role in her decision to retire.

While she'll undoubtedly miss the scores of co-workers and colleagues amassed over the years, Graham said she is looking forward to the next phase of her life.

“I'm going to kick back and enjoy the new life,” she said. “I'll go from there.”

Seibel has worked with Graham for more than six years in his official capacity, but he's known her since his time as a Jackson Township police officer.

It's not just a professional relationship, Seibel said, but also a friendship with a person he called “extremely competent and fun to work with.”

“There's no question I'm going to miss her,” he said. “I'll actually miss her not only as an administrative assistant but as a good friend, too. I'm sure we'll keep in touch.”