FLEMINGSBURG — It was a hard decision, one that he thought about for a good while before reaching a conclusion.
But in the end, it came down to family and commitments to business that helped Democrat State Rep. John Sims Jr. decide he would not run for reelection to the Kentucky House of Representative in 2020.
Sims announced his decision not to run for 70th District seat he now holds when election time rolls around next year during a legislative update Thursday in Maysville.
Sims and his wife, Jenny, are the parents of three daughters ages 8, 11 and 14, he said. And the demands of being a member of the General Assembly meant too much time away from his daughters, he said.
“I was missing a lot of things with them,” Sims said Friday.”Seems like I was running all the time.”
“I’m going to go home and watch my girls grow up, go home and take care of the store and enjoy life a little bit,” he said.
He also owns and operates the Dairy Queen in Flemingsburg and is in partnership on a farm.
Leaving Frankfort behind means more time to spend with his wife and children, more time to operate his business and more time to help out on the farm, he said.
Although he still has 20 months to serve until his term is complete, Sims said he wanted to put the information out there early enough so anyone interested in running for the office would have plenty of time to think it over.
“I wanted to do it the right way,” he said Friday.
Sims was elected to serve in 2015, following the retirement of longtime Representative Mike Denham. He took office in January 2016 and will complete his current term in December 2020.
Sims said he has enjoyed “99 percent” of his time in Frankfort, although like any job, there were “good days and bad days.” He said even after he became part of the minority party, he managed to work with legislators across the aisle. He was the only Democrat who had bills passed in this year’s legislative session, he said.
When his term is up he can walk away knowing he did his best, Sims said.
“I try to do what’s right for the state and what’s right for the district,” Sims said.
Candidates can begin filing for the office for the May 19, 2020, Primary Election on Nov. 6, 2019, according to the State Board of Elections. The last day to file is Jan. 28, 2020.
