Longtime Erie County Judge Rusty Cunningham will retire next month after 23 years on the bench.

Before becoming judge in 1995, he served two terms as Erie County District Attorney.

The judge said his retirement will be effective in mid-January.

His plans are uncertain but he will serve as a senior judge in Erie or other counties when needed.

Cunningham said he is especially proud of overseeing the creation of the county's drug treatment court in 2000.

He has continued to be involved, trying to help defendants change their lives.

He said, "So those folks who graduated I commend them. But even people who do not graduate, there is value in it for them. There are windows of times when they are sober, clean and doing good. And they learn they are capable of doing that."

Cunningham's retirement comes too late, for the opening to be on the November 2019 ballot.

Governor Tom Wolf could name a replacement until the next municipal election in 2021, or senior judges could take up some of the workload.