By Felicia A. Petro
PINE TOWNSHIP — District Judge Lawrence “Larry” T. Silvis will pound his gavel for the last time Oct. 14, after 14 years as the Grove City area magistrate.
He is the third of Mercer County’s five magistrates in a week to announce plans to retire this year. Also leaving their posts are James McMahon, Sharon, and William L. Fagley, Greenville.
Silvis, 60, of Sandy Lake Township, took the bench Jan. 3, 1994. His current term was to expire the first Monday of 2012.
“Most people don’t understand the position,” Silvis said. “Ten percent is handling cases and 90 percent is administrative. If you don’t accomplish that, you don’t meet the needs of the people you’re representing. The person coming in has to think of that.”
Silvis spent a lifetime in law enforcement, including 11 years as a state policeman, eight years as director of public safety at Allegheny College in Meadville, a year as a criminal civil investigator with Allegheny Power Systems in Greensburg, and five years as director of public safety at the Behrend College of Penn State in Erie.
Silvis also is a former adjunct faculty member at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Mercyhurst College in Erie.
“Larry has brought a lot of experience to the bench, which has helped him very much in working with adults, juveniles and students,” said Mercer County President Judge Francis J. Fornelli.
“He’s extremely hard-working and has an uncommon amount of good sense. He has a lot of skills, and his work ethic and character has made him an outstanding district justice,” Fornelli said.
By far, Scott Dunn’s preliminary hearing – which took three days – was Silvis’ hardest, he said. “It was one of the few cases that the evidence was 90 percent circumstantial.”
Dunn eventually pleaded guilty to killing his 22-year-old wife, Brandon “Brandi” Montgomery Dunn in January 2006, then covering up the crime by burning her body in her parents’ Grove City home.
William S. Williams, state police trooper with the Mercer barracks, praised Silvis’ ethic.
“He’s always been fair and balanced in how he’s treated citizens. In the courtroom, he’s always been professional,” Williams said. “I’ll miss him as someone I look up to.”
Silvis’ staff talked about his work with some of the area’s troubled youths.
“He follows them, calling them up to see how they’re doing. If their grades are going bad, he’ll call them in and talk to them,” said Sue Tomson, senior procedures clerk.
“I’ve seen him handle them better than most ministers.”
“He gives everyone a chance,” said Debbie Engstrom, senior procedures clerk. “He tries so hard to build people up.”
Silvis’ office averages 5,000 cases annually. Only 300 of those are the most serious cases, with half being drunken driving-related. The rest are primarily minor crimes, drug violations and assaults.
The area is “fairly safe,” Silvis said. “I’ve tried to establish criminally what we’re going to tolerate. This year is the worst I can recall with about eight sexual assaults on children.”
As for the future?
“I have no plans other than to spend time with my grandson,” Silvis said. The 1-year-old Philip lives in Butler County with his dad Brian Silvis, a veterinarian.
Silvis likes to hunt, fish, read classic books over and over and do carpentry on homes he fixes up and resells.
He is also an avid genealogist, tracing his family roots back to the Mayflower and the Queen Elizabeth.
However, “My plans are sort of blank for once in my life,” he said. “I’m going to relax then chart the course of where I go from here. Although I’m retiring, I’m not really retiring.”
Silvis and his wife, Janet, have lived in Lakeview School District since 1972. She retired as a bookkeeper last year.
