Attorney Allison Manning running for Avon Lake Municipal judge

Avon attorney Allison Manning announced Tuesday she is running for Avon Lake Municipal judge this year. Manning, a magistrate in Elyria Municipal Court since 2010 and North Ridgeville Mayor's Court since 2018, is an assistant prosecutor for the village of Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie; managing partner of Manning & Manning Attorneys at Law in North Ridgeville, where she focuses on estate planning and probate law; and also has experience as a criminal defense attorney. "I am proud to announce my candidacy for Avon Lake Municipal Court judge to continue to serve the interests of the people of Avon Lake, Avon and Sheffield Village," Manning said in a news release. "I believe my well-rounded experience uniquely prepares me for this role, and I look forward to sharing my vision with the voters in the weeks and months ahead." Avon Lake Municipal Court has jurisdiction over all misdemeanors and alleged violations of city or village ordinances in Avon, Avon Lake and Sheffield, traffic cases, small claims and some other civil cases. Judge Darrel Bilancini currently sits on the bench. He lost a race for Lorain County Common Pleas judge in November, after which he said he would be forced to retire from campaigning when his current term ends due to judicial age limits. Manning serves on the Lorain County Law Library Resources board, on her homeowners association board, and is a past member of the Lorain County Bar Association's Legal Ethics and Grievance Committee. She also serves as a member of the Ohio State, Lorain County and Cleveland Metropolitan bar associations, the Ohio Association of Magistrates and numerous Avon Schools boosters. Manning is a graduate of North Ridgeville High School, Denison University and Capital University School of Law in Columbus. She is married to Nick and the couple have three children, Conner, Avery and Bryson. Her brother is Ohio Sen. Nathan Manning, and their mother is Ohio Rep. Gayle Manning. More details about Manning's campaign can be found at www.manningforjudge.com. The primary election is May 2, and the general election is Nov. 7. Manning is the second attorney to announce a run for the Avon Lake bench. Avon Lake attorney Geoff Smith announced Jan. 5 that he had filed petitions to run.