George Panebianco has been approved to be a new full time city court judge. Submitted photo

There will soon be a familiar face on the bench again in the city of Jamestown.

On Monday, the Jamestown City Council approved George Panebianco, who was nominated by Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist, to be a city court judge.

This isn’t the first time Panebianco has been a city judge. He previously served as a part-time city judge from 2004 to 2014. However, after the position was changed to full-time, Panebianco stepped down from the bench to continue working as president and managing partner of Lewis & Lewis law firm, where he had worked for more than 27 years.

“I can promise you I will work very hard and make sure our citizens are protected, and I will make sure justice is served in our city,” he said after the council approved his appointment. “Thank you very much for your confidence.”

Panebianco will be replacing Judge Frederick Larson, who has served since 2014, at the beginning of 2022. Larson has taken senior status by hitting the mandatory retirement age.

Panebianco has lived in Jamestown his entire life and has a 32-year legal career. He said Lewis & Lewis will continue its legal presence in the city.

“I am returning to the bench knowing that the local leadership of Lewis & Lewis will continue the tradition of quality representation to the Jamestown community,” he said. “Our clients continue to be in great hands.”

Panebianco’s position on the bench is an appointed position. Unlike the other full-time elected city judge position, which is held by Judge John LaMancuso, Panebianco position isn’t elected.

Since 2019, state Assemblyman Andy Goodell, R-Jamestown, has tried to correct the “anomaly” of having one full-time judge position be elected every 10 years while the other position is appointed.

Goodell told The Post-Journal the bill he wrote to make both judge positions elected passed the state Senate earlier this year, but didn’t get out of the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee before the session ended in June. He said that he will once again try to push the legislation through the Assembly and, with the assistance of state Sen. George Borrello, the Senate next year.

Goodell said the bill has the support of Sundquist and the local administrative judge on behalf of the Office of Court Administration. Because the state legislation wasn’t passed before the appointment, Panebianco will be able to serve as a city court judge as long as he likes. If the bill does get passed by the state Legislature and signed by the governor next year, the judge position won’t be an elected position until after Panebianco resigns or retires from the bench.

“The rationale for the bill is straightforward. The city in the past had one full-time and one part-time judge. The full-time was elected and the part-time was appointed,” Goodell said. “A few years ago at the request of the city, both positions became full-time to reflect the increase in the number of cases. When the bill was passed (to make the part-time position a full-time one), I failed to make the second judge an elected position. So we ended up with one full-time judge who has to run for election and one full-time judge who never has to run for election. As soon as we realized this anomaly, we moved forward to make both full-time judges an elected position so they are treated exactly the same.”

Goodell said Panebianco did an excellent job and had an excellent reputation during his previous tenure on the bench.

“George is an excellent appointment in my opinion,” he said. “George is a first-class guy with a lot of experience.”

Panebianco has served as past president of the National Comedy Center, president of the Jamestown YMCA and chairman of the Italian American Charity Golf Tournament. He has been a member of the Jamestown, Erie County and New York State Bar Associations. He is a member of the National Trial Lawyers Bar Association and a former member of the state Injured Workers Bar Association.

Sundquist said the city had many great candidates for judge.

“I am proud to have selected George as the nominee for city court judge. It was a long selection process,” he said. “I am proud to have previously worked with George, and he has been a mentor, friend, colleague and an invaluable asset to our local legal community for many years. I can think of no one else who best embodies the ethics needed in this position than George. I thank Judge Larson for his long service to the city, and wish Judge Panebianco the best in his new position.”