CANFIELD — Ohio 7th District Court of Appeals Judge David D’Apolito is leaving the black robe behind and is beginning a new chapter in his life on Jan. 1 as he will take the oath of office to become Canfield’s new city manager.

Once he is in office, D’Apolito wants to hit the ground running by building relationships and putting Canfield in a position to succeed moving forward.

“One of my main goals is to economically develop the city and at the same time maintain its character, charm and safety that Canfield is known for,” D’Apolito said. “Another goal I hope to accomplish is to develop a good relationship with Canfield Township that is beneficial to both communities.”

D’Apolito was raised in Boardman and graduated from Boardman High School in 1982. He went on to pursue a double major at Youngstown State University in political science and economics, graduating in 1986. From there he went on to study law at the University of Akron’s School of Law, from which he graduated in 1989.

“Then I went into private practice,” D’Apolito said. “I practiced law for 29 years from 1989 to 2018.”

His office was located at 23 Lisbon St. in Canfield.

While practicing law, he also took on other roles in the legal system. One such position was serving as a prosecutor in Ashtabula County.

“In 1997, I became the first county court magistrate in Mahoning County,” he said.

In 2000, D’Apolito was elected to serve on the county court bench in Austintown (County Court 4).

In November of 2018, D’Apolito won the seat on the state’s 7th District Court of Appeals. His final day in that seat will be Dec. 31.

“I really didn’t want to run again for judge,” D’Apolito said. “When the city manager opportunity presented itself, I decided to take on the challenge.”

He said there were reasons he didn’t want to run for an elected judge position.

“The Legislature has changed the rules in Ohio,” D’Aoplito said. “Judges running for the Supreme Court and appellate courts now have to declare a political party. I always wanted to be a judge, not a politician. Now they want to know how you feel about gun rights, abortion, and even if you voted for Trump. Today when you run, no one cares about your knowledge.”

He said in the 7th District, the political makeup is 70% Republican and 30% Democrat.

“When I first ran for office I never cared about that number,” he said. “Now, I just want to take my skill set and adapt it to the city manager’s position.”

D’Apolito said the decision wasn’t an instant one. He said he prayed about it and discussed it with friends, family and his three daughters. The oldest, Samantha, 37, is married and lives in Washington D.C. The middle daughter, Alexandria, 34, resides in Boardman, and his youngest daughter, Gianna, 26, is planning a wedding in March in Tempe, Arizona.

At present, D’Apolito lives in Boardman but is looking to move back to Canfield next year. He was a Canfield resident from 1997 through 2021.

D’Apolito has sent letters to the governor and chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court as required.

“My goal is to hit the ground running on Jan. 1,” he said. “I have been meeting with Interim City Manager Chuck Colucci, and the department heads to get a handle on the issues.”

He said the job is a 24/7 position and he says he’ll be able to fill the need. He said he is ready to get up at 2 a.m. for a water main break or any other city emergency.

He also acknowledged the help he is getting from Colucci is going to make the transition smooth.

“What a great job police Chief Colucci has done,” D’Apolito said. “He is so dedicated and devoted to the City of Canfield.”

Colucci said the city staff has played a big role in keeping the government rolling along.

“Since day one of the city manager vacancy, city staff has been focused on providing our community with the best public service and creating an atmosphere conducive to giving our next city manager the best opportunity for success,” he said.