Ohio County Circuit Judge David Sims to Retire at End of 2026
Ohio County Circuit Judge David Sims to Retire at End of 2026
Trending
WHEELING -- After more than three decades of service to the residents of Ohio County and the First Judicial Circuit, Judge David Sims has announced his retirement.
Sims -- who spent several years as an assistant prosecutor in Ohio County, nearly 18 years as an Ohio County commissioner and nearly 14 years as a circuit judge in the First Judicial Circuit -- confirmed Friday he will retire Dec. 31.
There had been much talk at the City-County Building in Wheeling this week over Sims' future. He said Friday he has submitted his formal retirement letter to Gov. Patrick Morrisey's office, and will serve through the end of this year.
When that times comes, it could well mark the conclusion of one of the finest records of public service Ohio County has seen.
Following his formal retirement, Sims said he plans to apply for senior status, which would allow him to continue his judicial career, but more on his terms. He said he and his wife Lisa also have plans to travel while continuing to serve the local area.
"We have a grandson that we want to spend time with, and I’m probably going to do some volunteering. I also want to stay active in the community and just try to give back as best I can," he said.
Sims first was elected to public office in 1994, when he won a seat on the Ohio County Commission. It was his time with former commissioners Tim McCormick and the late Arthur McKenzie, and then current Commissioner Randy Wharton, when the county took a big step forward through the purchase of the property now known as The Highlands.
When the county purchased the 471 acres of the former Valley Camp Coal property from Quinn Ford and John Nicolozakes in the early 2000s, the development as it exists today didn't seem possible. However, once the county landed Cabela's and earth started moving, additional tenants signed on and the site blossomed.
Sims remains proud of the work the county's team did in making that a reality.
"When I first took office, I was really focused on trying to get some economic development going because I think at that point, back in the mid 1990s, things were pretty stagnant. There was a general sense here that we didn’t have room to grow and develop, so being able to acquire that site and develop it over the past 20-plus years into what it is today -- that was monumental," he said.
Sims would serve on the commission until 2012. He actually was up for re-election that year, with his name on the ballot, when he got the call from then-Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to the judiciary, replacing the late Circuit Judge Arthur Recht, who had retired that year.
Sims would win election to that seat during a special election in 2014 to finish out Recht's term. He would then win re-election to a full eight-year term in 2016 and again in 2024.
Sims' time on the bench coincided in many ways with the opioid scourge that swept across West Virginia, destroying lives and families. In 2019, he assumed oversight of the newly created Family Treatment Court, with the goal of prioritizing treatment for those families separated by drug addiction or abuse and reuniting them sooner.
The success of that effort is something he's particularly proud of.
"I think the treatment courts ... that's something I embraced early on, starting with the adult treatment court when I first went on the bench, and then being able to be one of the pilot programs for the Family Treatment Court program. I think that was very valuable to the community," he said. "There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing somebody turn their life around and be reunified with their family and have a healthy outcome. As a judge, you don’t get to see too many happy endings, and seeing people graduate from treatment courts and doing adoptions were really the two things that are fun as a judge."
Sims also noted those whose influence helped his legal and public service career blossom including Judge George Spillers and Judge Recht. He also noted the late Robert McCoid, his former law partner, for his impact and legal wisdom.