Judge Stephen M. Sims endorsement of James P. Posey for Judge of the Allen Superior Court, Civil Division:
I am pleased to join Judge Heath in endorsing James Posey for Judge of the Allen Superior Coult, Civil Division.
As the retired three-term elected Prosecutor of Allen County, I had the privilege of, not only hiring Mr. Posey as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, but I also had the advantage of his civil legal counsel throughout my tenure as Prosecuting Attorney. As my Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Jim rose to the number 3 position in the office-that is Chief Civil Counsel to the Prosecutor. Jim also tried many of our most complex criminal cases up to and including homicides. Jim’s work ethic and talent resulted with the imprisonment of defendants dangerous to society. As importantly, Jim helped establish the Prosecuting Attorney’s Pretrial Diversion Program. As established by Jim and me, the Program (which continues to this day under the authority of Prosecuting Attorney, Karen Richards) accomplished three important goals:
- In domestic violence cases, it provided Allen County’s first substantial intervention;
- The Program facilitated a partnership between the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Attorney John Beams’ “Center for Nonviolence” allowing for preservation of the family and protection of the victim while the offender received court-ordered rehabilitative classes and instruction at the “Center for Nonviolence”; and
- It created a user fee paid by the offender which resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars used to operate the Office of Prosecuting Attorney in lieu of tax-payer funding. Those user fees continue to relieve the tax burden of Allen County residents.
With my blessing, Jim joined the law firm of Orvis Beers. However, Jim continued to serve as the Prosecutor’s Civil Lawyer throughout my terms.
As the three-term elected Judge of the Allen Superior Court, I continued to employ Jim in his capacity as civil legal counsel for the Family Relations Division. He continues in this public service to this day. Further, as judge of the court, I have appointed him to serve as Judge Pro-Tem on numerous occasions. Thus, for years I have had the opportunity to observe his competency, work ethic, and demeanor in various stressful settings. Jim has always performed at the highest levels in all of his public endeavors.
In his private life, Jim has always been actively involved in the community. Since the mid 1980’s, he has served as a Board Member of the Fort Wayne Area Youth for Christ, Inc. Jim and his wife, Dianna, have just celebrated the joy of watching their daughter, Elizabeth, graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. She is currently training as a military pilot at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Not only have I worked with Jim, but I have also worked with the other two candidates for Judge of the Allen Superior Court Civil Division. Both of these gentlemen have good credentials. However, based upon the experience of my long-term public service, the understanding of the complexity of the systems involved with the Courts, and the level of energy necessarily to protect the public good, I am pleased to endorse Mr. James P. Posey for Judge of the Allen Superior Court Civil Division.
I make this recommendation with no reservations whatsoever.
Respectfully submitted to my fellow citizens, this 30th day of September, 2014.