Poulsbo Municipal Court judge Jeff Tolman will be retiring April 7 following 31 years on the job.

Tolman, who turns 72 in May, said the “time was right” for someone else to complete his term. “It’s time to hand the baton to somebody a little younger who can put the court in their image,” he said.

The process of choosing Tolman’s successor is ongoing, with interviews planned for the last week of March. Then Mayor Becky Erickson will appoint a replacement that will need to be confirmed by the City Council.

“Judge Tolman has served Poulsbo with wisdom, grace, intelligence, compassion and a warm sense of humor,” Erickson said in a statement. “His thoughtfulness and genuine care for people have left a lasting impact on our community.”

Tolman has worked under four mayors, starting in 1994. He also had an extensive career as a lawyer in Poulsbo, working with many law partners over his 45-year career in that capacity. He worked simultaneously as a judge and attorney, before retiring as a lawyer in 2022.

“It was a really good balance,” Tolman said. “It probably made me more efficient. When I put the robe on, I’m not Jeff Tolman as a husband, father, grandfather, lawyer or terrible golfer, I’m judge Tolman. I have to have a different thought process when I’m a judge than when I’m a lawyer or out in the community.”

Growing up in places like Greybull, WY and Asotin, Tolman was familiar with small-town communities and knew he wanted to start his law career in a similar area. “There were 18 kids in my high school graduating class so the thought of living in a small town was more natural to me.”

“All I ever wanted to be was a small town lawyer. After I took the bar exam, I went to a number of states looking for the perfect small town,” said Tolman, who went to college at Eastern Washington University and to law school at Gonzaga in Spokane.

Tolman initially had his sights set on a law practice in Clarkston, but a college friend from Poulsbo convinced him that “Little Norway” was better. “I came here and realized it was an area of growth,” he said. “There were five lawyers, and they were building a nuclear submarine base.”

The first mention of the Poulsbo Municipal Court was around 1890, per Tolman. It was not until 1971 that a lawyer-judge was incorporated. Before that, community members such as the newspaper editor, butcher and an oil-truck driver served in that capacity.

Former Poulsbo Mayor Mildred Lindvig appointed Jay Roof and Conrad Green as co-judges in 1971. They were law partners in the firm that ended up being Tolman’s. In 1972, Green became the Bainbridge Island judge and Roof served as Poulsbo judge until 1994 when he was appointed as Kitsap County Superior Court judge. That’s when Tolman took over as municipal court judge and has held the position ever since.

In a small town like Poulsbo, where many community members know each other, Tolman would sometimes have to recuse himself as judge and have another one step in if he knew the defendants too well. “There were some limitations because you would see defendants that you coached in Little League…or people you knew in the community,” he said. “I was always really straightforward” to defendants about having another judge fill in if he knew them.

Tolman noted some of the more common cases he sees include traffic citations, theft, unlawful possession of controlled substances, DUI and assault. But when you’re a judge for over three decades, one is bound to see a handful of unique cases that become hard to forget.

“I had to decide whether the Poulsbo Santa Claus got a no-contact order from somebody who was across from the downtown Santa shack screaming at him over a bullhorn,” Tolman recalled. “Never in a million years did I think I’d be deciding a no-contact order for Santa Claus.”

Other cases Tolman recalled included a grandma who deliberately taught her grandchildren to steal from a local store and a man who tried to steal a salmon by putting it down his pants. “When I asked him what happened he said ‘oh, I forgot,’” Tolman said.

But in all seriousness, Tolman said he gets the most gratitude as a judge, “when somebody changes their life. That is so rewarding to think you have some small part in that change…Right now there’s about five or six who I truly believe if I was able to say the right things and do the right things…we could really change their behavior and give them a chance.”

Longtime Poulsbo City Councilmember Ed Stern lauded Tolman for his over three decades of service. “His judgeship has reflected the heart of our community, which is a small town, trying to stand everyone up, giving people second chances and being there to follow through.”

As for what’s next, Tolman said he wants to spend time watching his grandkids’ sporting events and “hopes to learn how to hit a ball out of the sand better” while playing golf. As for advice for his successor, Tolman simply said: “Give people a chance and understand that we’re all imperfect circles. Give them a chance to change.”