Family Court's Marren to accept Mesquite post

By Carri Geer
Review-Journal

      Family Court Judge Terrance Marren said he expects to resign next month to accept a position as Mesquite's first full-time city attorney.
      Mesquite City Council members voted Tuesday to offer Marren the job and are scheduled to vote on his contract Feb. 10.
      "I didn't know if I'd get another challenge like this, and I couldn't pass it up," Marren said Wednesday.
      If council members approve Marren's employment package, his resignation would take effect Feb. 22. He would begin his new job the next day.
      Mesquite City Manager Bill Da Vee said he plans to meet Friday with Marren to discuss terms of his employment, including salary.
      Da Vee said Mesquite has used the services of a contract attorney from Las Vegas to meet its legal needs since the city incorporated in 1984. He said growth in the community prompted members of the City Council to include a full-time position in this year's budget.
      Mesquite has a population of about 9,300 -- up from about 1,300 in 1985.
      "As we've grown, so have our demands grown," Da Vee said.
      The city manager said 12 people applied for the job, and six were interviewed earlier this month. He said Marren was one of two finalists.
      Marren said Tony Terry, the attorney who has been working for Mesquite, did not want to give up his law practice to take on the full-time job.
      Da Vee said he sat on one of the panels that interviewed candidates for the city attorney position.
      "We were looking for someone with experience," he said. "We were looking for someone who had spent some time in municipal practice."
      Marren, 49, spent three years as a deputy city attorney in North Las Vegas before he began working as a domestic-relations referee in 1985. He was elected in 1992 to one of the newly created Family Court judgeships.
      "I think after 13 years in Family Court that I have given it my all," he said.
      The Family Court has been surrounded by controversy since its inception, and Marren has received his share of the criticism.
      The Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission fined and publicly reprimanded Marren in September for taking too long to make decisions in three divorce cases. During a public hearing in July, the judge apologized for the delays.
      The commission also met in a closed hearing in November regarding another complaint against Marren but has not announced any findings.
      Marren also was criticized for awarding custody of a 16-year-old girl to her boyfriend's parents. Her parents learned of the decision only when the girl showed up with two police officers to remove her property from her parents' home.
      A permanent change of guardianship would have required giving the parents an opportunity to contest the ruling. But because the girl had alleged parental abuse, Marren issued an immediate order without notifying the parents. The girl later recanted her accusation and has returned to her parents.
      As a result of publicity surrounding the case, the 1997 Nevada Legislature passed a law making it harder for children to "divorce their parents."
      Marren said he will enjoy a break from the campaign battles and the "negative atmosphere" surrounding Family Court, but said that did not prompt his decision to seek a new position.
      He said he wants "to be part of an important city like Mesquite" and likes the lifestyle of the community.
      The judge, who lives in Logandale, said he will move to Mesquite if the City Council approves his contract.
      "I've been driving 600 miles a week for three years," he said.
      The new city attorney will have the responsibility of handling all civil and criminal cases for Mesquite. The attorney will handle misdemeanor cases in Municipal Court, advise the City Council, review and draft city ordinances, and defend the city against lawsuits, among other duties.