Do you remember what you were doing in March of 1980?
Carthage Municipal Court Judge Brad Cameron does.
He was taking the bench for the first time, replacing long-time Judge Ora Six, and starting a career that wouldn’t end for 38 years.
And he wouldn’t be stepping down except that Missouri State Law requires that municipal judges retire upon reaching the age of 75.
Passing the baton
“On Oct. 19, I become statutorily senile, so I have to step down from the position and I do that with much regret,” Cameron told the Carthage City Council when it recognized his service at its Oct. 9 regular meeting. “It has been a true honor to serve this city for the years I have, and I thank all of you for that.”
Cameron repeated his regret in an interview on Thursday, Oct. 18, just minutes after presiding over his final session of the Carthage Municipal Court in Memorial Hall.
“I have to be very candid, I’m saddened by it,” Cameron said about retiring. “I enjoy this job, beyond what I can tell you. It’s been a pleasure to be of service to the citizens of Carthage and I hate the fact that I have to leave, but I think I’m turning it over to someone who will do an excellent job. “
Sitting next to Cameron on that day, as he had been during two previous sessions, was the future Carthage Municipal Judge, Carthage Attorney Pete Lasley, who was named to the post in September after a weeks-long search.
Lasley said looking over Cameron’s shoulder for three weeks would help him hit the ground running for his first session on Thursday, Oct. 25.
“Watching it from this perspective, I’ve learned quite a bit, and Judge Cameron has been fantastic to give me a few pointers here or there,” Lasley said. “He’s always saying, now you don’t have to do it this way, this is how I do it, you do how you want to do. He’s been great, the staff’s been wonderful and very accommodating. I’m just telling everyone be patient with me while I learn the ropes.”
Cameron background
Cameron took over the Municipal Court at a time when Carthage was growing, and state laws were changing the requirements to be a judge in a community like Carthage.
Cameron said Six was the last “lay judge,” or a judge who was not an attorney.
“Carthage became a class of city that required someone to have a law degree and I happened to be available,” Cameron said. “He’d been judge for some time, I don’t know how long exactly.”
Cameron said while he has his law degree, he’s was a social worker by trade, and that urge to help people has guided his work from the Carthage bench.
“I’m not saying it’s the right way or wrong way, I’m just saying that is who I am,” Cameron said. “I’ve seen this job as an opportunity to be of help to some folks and most of the people we deal with here are not hardened criminals, they’re people who have just made mistakes. Sometimes they make them over and over again, but I try to put that into perspective when I talk to these folks and they come up to the bench. I try to treat them with respect and dignity.”
A proclamation from Carthage Mayor Dan Rife declaring Oct. 18, 2018 as “Judge Brad Cameron Day,” listed the degrees Cameron has earned over the years: a bachelor’s degree in English education from Oklahoma University; a master’s in social work from OU; a master’s in psychology from Pittsburg State University; a master’s in criminal justice from Drury University; a law degree from Oklahoma City University; and a doctoral degree in counselor education from the University of Arkansas.
Cameron is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and has also worked as a professor of social work and justice studies for the past 31 years.
He is a life-long resident of Carthage and graduated from Carthage High School.
“Whereas Judge Cameron’s dedication, creative mind, visionary thinking, passion for social work and most importantly, his integrity and work ethic are his trademark and will be fondly remembered by citizens, officials and employees,” the proclamation read. “The city along with our citizens and city departments join unanimously to applaud the personal and professional accomplishments garnered thus far in life and the work of Municipal Judge Brad Cameron.”
Big changes
The world has changed dramatically since 1980 and Cameron said his job as a judge has changed with it.
“The dockets have steadily grown larger,” Cameron said. “And we’ve changed locations, I’ve never been real positive about this location, in Memorial Hall. I feel like we’re having court in a barn. We’ve had birds flying around and I’ve had balloons over my head and stuff like that, but it was necessitated by the fact that the dockets have just continued to grow. We were in city hall before and we had people standing outside in the dead of winter and we can’t do that.”
Cameron said the people appearing before him have changed as well.
When he started, Cameron said he rarely saw a Hispanic defendant, and almost never had to deal with someone who couldn’t speak English.
“I don’t remember seeing a Hispanic defendant until close to 1990, 10 years, and I don’t think we had a Hispanic defendant,” he said. “Now it’s a significant part of the docket. And they’re always respectful and they’re just like everyone else, they come in and enter pleas of guilty or not guilty and we try to treat everyone the same. Fortunately, we’ve had Connie Artym (currently on the court staff) and other people to translate for us.”
Thank yous
Cameron thanked his entire court staff for helping guide him throughout his tenure.
“I want to say that this job is made so much easier because of (City Attorney) Nate Dally, (City Clerk) Traci Cox, Connie (Artym), Jessica Baugh, Michael Moore, and the rest of the staff,” Cameron said. “I just kind of do what I am told, but the staff and Nate Dally, they’re the ones that have done the heavy lifting as far as all these changes we’ve had to go through.”
At the Oct. 9 Council Meeting, Cameron thanked current Mayor Dan Rife and others.
“I also thank all of the previous administrations, and there have been a few,” Cameron said. “I want to especially thank Mayor Mike Harris and Mr. Short because during a rather troubling time a few years ago, they stood by me and we came through it and I continued to serve, and I really and truly appreciated that, and I appreciated Mayor Harris and his support.”
