AVON LAKE, Ohio -- Avon Lake Municipal Court Judge Darrel Bilancini is planning his next career move well in advance. He plans to run for a Lorain County Common Pleas Court judgeship, beginning with the May 2022 primary and heading into the November 2022 general election.
He is seeking to replace Judge Mark Betleski, who is completing his fourth term and won’t be seeking re-election when his term ends in December 2022.
Bilancini was first elected as a part-time judge of Avon Lake Municipal Court in 2005 and was re-elected to two six-year terms in 2011 and 2017. The position became full-time in 2014.
When Bilancini was asked if he expects a lot of competition in the election for a judgeship that covers an entire county instead of just one city, he said: “Yes, I expect a lot of competition for the Betleski bench. I have heard a lot of names, but haven’t heard any come out yet. I am expecting a primary election as well as the general election.”
He noted that getting an early start on the campaign is necessary to be able to cover the entire county.
“Yes, in the entire county, name recognition is important for a judge. You have to get your name out the best you can,” he said.
Bilancini said voters can learn more about judicial candidates at https://judicialvotescount.com/, which covers several Ohio counties, he said.
As far as an election platform goes, Bilancini said, “I am not sure yet, but what I do now as a judge would be the same thing -- to be fair and to be compassionate and to follow the law, which was one of the things I was determined to do when I first became a judge.”
He noted that he wants to emphasize his extensive experience, not only as a judge but as a trial attorney with more than 100 cases so far, he said.
“I would still be in a position to make decisions that affect people’s lives,” he said.
Bilancini was born in Lorain -- one of nine siblings -- and lived in that city for 32 years.
While attending John Carroll University from 1971 to 1975, he worked summers at Lorain U.S. Steel in the coke plant and on the docks.
While studying at Cleveland Marshall College of Law, he worked in the law departments of both the City of Lorain and the City of Cleveland. He later put together a civil litigation practice in Elyria with a partner, Jerry Savoy, that lasted from 1981 to 2011. They litigated civil cases, such as insurance cases.
He also served as a referee in the Lorain County Juvenile Court, as acting magistrate in the Elyria Municipal Court and, for more than 10 years, as a mediator and arbitrator in the Lorain County Common Pleas Court’s general division.
Community volunteering is also a major part of the judge’s life. Just to name a few, he has served on the boards of Avon/Avon Lake Community Resource Services and the Avon Lake Kiwanis Club, and was head coach for the Avon Lake Softball League and the St. Joseph CYO girls’ basketball teams.
He is also a member of the St. Joseph Building Committee, where he helped plan the construction of a new church and has served for more than 30 years as a Communion minister and as a member and soloist in the adult choir.
In 2008, Bilancini initiated an ongoing parish ministry at St. Joseph to video and play weekly Masses on local cable television. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, he was part of a three-person ministry (including John Guzik and Tom Selders) that live-streamed all of the daily and weekend Masses to parishioners.
Bilancini and his wife of 42 years, Cindy, a registered nurse, have three children.
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