PINETOP-LAKESIDE – There was an open house at the Pinetop-Lakeside Justice Court on the afternoon of February 16th. Friends and community members stopped by to say good wishes and thank the Hon. David Widmaier, who is withdrawing from his elected position as justice of the peace for District Court 6 after 20 years of service.
Dawnafe Whitesinger, vice chairwoman of the Navajo County Board of Directors, presented Widmaier with a county plaque in recognition of his service from November 2000 to March 2021.
Although he officially retires from his Justice for the Peace Position, he will continue to serve as its judge for the City of Pinetop-Lakeside. He was appointed city judge in 2002 and has been consistently reappointed since then. Occasionally, he also acts as a guest judge for the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
“I owe a lot to my dear friends on the reservation who worked hard to choose and choose me,” explained Widmaier.
Widmaier grew up in Phoenix and joined the US Marine Corp after graduating from high school at the end of the View Nam War. He graduated from Glendale Community College and Northern Arizona University in 1979 and moved to Pinetop in 1980 to work as a reporter and photographer for the White Mountain Independent. He went to Wales in 1986 to complete the first of his two Masters degrees through an Ambassadorial Scholarship from the White Mountain Rotary Club. He is now a past president of the group.
After returning to Pinetop in 1987, he started a small business and joined Northland Pioneer College as an Associate Faculty.
“I decided to run for JP in 2000 on the recommendation of retired judge Ryan Reinhold. Ryan is a dear friend who said I had the conduct and background that go well with the Justice for Peace position. Ryan became my mentor in this position and I owe him a lot for my career, ”explained Widmaier.
Widmaier said he enjoyed working with the Courts Administrative Bureau (AOC) throughout his legal career.
“In my third year as a judge, Arizona Judicial College asked me to be a mentor and faculty member,” Widmaier stated in an email response to the Independent. “So I spent three weeks each winter at New Judge’s Orientation for the next 17 years, working with newly elected magistrates and magistrates. As a result, the AOC has appointed me to a number of committees over the years, including 11 years on the Arizona Judicial Council, the highest committee in the state. I have been elected to the position of President of the Arizona Justice of the Peace Association five times and have really enjoyed working with all of my colleagues. The last activity I am currently doing is President of the National Judges Association and will complete that term this summer. “
When asked about his plans for retirement after such a long, busy, and successful career, Widmaier replied, “I see retirement as another chapter in the short book we call life.”
Widmaier is also a member of the American Legion and the Knights of Columbus. He and his wife Marla live in Pinetop.
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