Magistrate Darrel Bilancini, appointed to the position of Traffic/Criminal Magistrate at the Elyria Municipal Court in May 2024, presides over cases involving minor misdemeanors and non-jailable traffic offenses, as well as property maintenance and failure to file local income tax offenses.

Bilancini’s legal career began in 1979 in the Lorain County Juvenile Court as one of its referees, appointed by Judge Henry T. Webber. From 1981 to 2012 he partnered with Attorney Jerry Savoy at offices in downtown Elyria in a civil litigation practice.

Now retired-judge of the Avon Lake Municipal Court, Bilancini was first elected in 2005 and served 3 six-year terms through December 2023. The position was initially as a part-time judge, but the Ohio legislature elevated it to a full-time position in 2014.

Magistrate Bilancini is married for 46 years to his wife Cindy (Kirchner), a retired registered nurse, and they have three daughters.