Volume 1, Issue 40 MARCH 1, 2024
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Family first and a philosophy of understanding mark Lambrix’s time on the bench By Amanda Dodge The Oceana Echo Community Contributor After almost two decades on the bench, Oceana County Probate Judge Brad Lambrix has decided to lay his gavel to rest. He will finish out his term on Dec. 31 of this year and will not be seeking re-election. “It was a really tough decision to make for two reasons,” Lambrix explained. “One, I still enjoy my job, and the other part to that is I have the most wonderful, greatest staff, and they make it enjoyable to come to work. “This is my third term, and basically what I was telling my family is that after 18 years in the prosecutor’s office and 18 years on the bench, I decided it was time. I have a lot of other interests I would like to pursue and do. “My wife, Mary Jo, and I make our own homemade maple syrup as a hobby. We don’t sell it; we give it away to family and friends. She’s a retired nurse after 43 years at Holland Hospital. We also enjoy recreation outdoors.” Lambrix is a graduate of Shelby High School and a lifelong resident of Oceana County. He said that he graduated from Hope College and obtained his law degree from Cooley Law School. He
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added that he did not consider a career in law until he was at Hope. “In college, I was undecided, and I was working my way through at Haworth in Holland,” he recalled. “I took a night class while I was working, and it was a business law class, and I just really loved it and it made sense to me. I talked to one of my professors, and he said, ‘why don’t you go to law school,’ so I went. “I finished my first week of law school before I finished at Hope College. My professors arranged for me to take my exams early and then I came back for graduation after the first week of law school.” After passing the bar, Lambrix said he opened his own office, and then, after a few years in private practice, he became the assistant prosecutor in Oceana County. He added that the job was part-time at first, and then became full-time. “After a total of 18 years in the prosecutor’s office, an opening came up in the probate judge position, and I ran and won,” Lambrix said. “I’ve been in the courthouse here for 36 years.” Lambrix looks back fondly on those 36 years and the many memories he has from them. One of his favorites is when he was authorized to swear in his only son, Jeremy, as an attorney after he passed the bar. “It was during Covid, and because of that, the county building was closed to the public, so I was in my courtroom swearing my son in via Zoom and he was in my living room at home.” Work in government and law has truly been a family affair, as Lambrix said that he got to work at the courthouse with his father, George, when he started in the prosecutor’s office. “My
dad was the county treasurer for 26 years, from 1972 to 1998. We both worked in the courthouse for awhile at the same time. Combined (from his father’s start to his finish this year), we have a little over 50 years in the courthouse together. Not too many get to say or do that. It’s a hidden blessing,” Lambrix said. His office also includes a red oak desk and a cherry hutch and computer stand that his brother, Paul, made for him when he first started. Family really has become a mainstay in Lambrix’s career and day-to-day responsibilities from the bench. “The role of the probate judge in Oceana has been expanded from guardianships, conservatorships, wills and trusts. The State Court Administrative Office has expanded that role to include child custody matters, divorce matters, neglect and abuse and juvenile matters. I basically do the family court division work, and have done quite a few criminal cases over the years,” he explained. “Personally, I’ve done pretty much everything. “The most enjoyable days I have are when I complete an adoption, that’s when I get to put together a family, and it is the most joyous occasion I have. On the other side of the fence, is when you are dealing with custody, neglect and abuse and termination of parental rights. The termination is one of those things that come with the territory. It’s always a difficult decision to make.” Outside of work, he also said that his family and friends have been very supportive of his choice to not run again. “As it got time to make that decision and people became aware of it, there
was no pressure from anyone. They just waited to hear what I decided,” Lambrix said. “I can’t really say there was a big surprise, but family and friends know that I was considering it and supported me positively in what I decided to do. “I plan to still visit my colleagues, as I anticipate missing the people I worked and networked with for so many years. I’ll stop by once and awhile and see how everyone is doing, and I’m sure that would be enjoyable for all.” Lambrix truly has spent his career dedicated to the people of Oceana County, and it is very important to him that they select his successor. “I will be 68 at the end of this year. If I did leave in the middle of my term, the position would be filled by governor’s appointment, and I wanted the people of Oceana to choose who they want their probate judge to be,” Lambrix said. “Let the voters decide.” He also added that he will be able to work with whomever is elected as the next probate judge for Oceana County. “The election is in November, and between that and the end of December, I am open and available to the successor,” he said. “If that person is an active attorney, they will be working to wrap up cases, as I had to (before becoming probate judge). There is a little bit of a transition time, and I’m available to assist during that. I will also have cases I am trying to wrap up by the end of the year.” He went on to explain that the State Court Administrative Office helps attorneys as they transition to a role on the bench. “They have what I would dub ‘new judges school.’ It’s a weeklong training
B rad L ambrix for those newly elected to the position. They attend a several-day seminar about being a judge and get some guidance and ideas and support on what’s appropriate and how to handle situations.” Through his three terms as judge, Lambrix said that he has maintained the same philosophy and would advise any future judge to have the same. “I’ve always tried to treat people, in any given situation, from the bench in how I would want to be treated. I try to remember that while I’m familiar with the legal process, many people that come in front of me are not and don’t know what is going on,” he said. “Whether they agree with the decision or not, if someone asks them what happened in court, I would like them to be able to say this is what happened and why it happened. I like to explain, as best I can as to what is happening, so that they know what happened and why. That is my philosophy and how I’ve looked at my approach at being on the bench the last 18 years. “I’ve been very blessed to have served this community for so many years, and I am just thankful to Oceana County and the Oceana County residents for their support over the years, both for me and my family.”
Primary results indicate Crystal Township proposals pass, almost 200 utilize the new early voter option at the courthouse By Stacia Erickson The Oceana Echo Community Contributor
The Oceana County Feb. 27 Presidential Primary Election unofficial results were a direct reflection of the results reported for the State of Michigan. The 2024 presidential race will read President Joseph Biden as the Democratic party’s candidate and former President Donald Trump as the Republican Party’s candidate. And, although presidential major party candidates are, of course, big news, the sought-after results in our neck of the woods were in Crystal Valley. Proposals were on the ballot in Precinct 1, Crystal Township. Unofficial results, not including 5 early voters in the tallies, included: a Fire
Operations millage up for renewal, which passed with 86 votes in favor and 23 votes against; a Fire Equipment millage renewal also passed with 85 votes for and 22 votes against; and, lastly, a Road Improvement millage renewal with a winning vote of 82 yes, versus 27 no. Crystal Valley’s District #4 County Commissioner Paul Erickson said, “It was good to see Crystal Township’s citizens show their strong support for their firefighters and improving their roads. Crystal has the same square miles, with many fewer residents compared to the other townships.” Elbridge Township was the first to arrive at the county courthouse at approximately 9 p.m. Tuesday evening, and Pentwater Township was the last to arrive sometime after 1 a.m. Wednesday morning. New per-
sonnel and procedures, along with the addition of Michigan’s new early voters creating a whole new Oceana precinct, resulted in a long day for election workers and the county clerk’s office. Oceana County Clerk Amy Anderson said she and her staff are always prepared for long election days because those days are an early start and a late projected ending time, as well as understandably unpredictable. Anderson appears to try her best to anticipate and troubleshoot beforehand, but one can only second-guess so much. When some would become ill-humored, after repeatedly answering the same questions, putting in countless hours with training and staffing, and trying to keep officials
Oceana primary results continued on page 2