Deputy Prosecutor Marriner to leave

Deputy Civil Prosecutor Alan Marriner is moving on.

Marriner will join the city of Bellingham next week as assistant city attorney following four rugged years as part of the San Juan County legal team. His last day with the county is March 15.

Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord said Marriner’s resignation is a significant loss to his office, where four attorneys already work overtime to keep pace with an increasing load of criminal and civil cases. Marriner’s main responsibility has been resolving disputes involving the Comp Plan, Gaylord notes.

“Alan certainly has a level of expertise that we can’t replace,” he said.

“Right now, we’re evaluating how best to handle (his departure).”

News of his resignation prompted reactions of disappointment from friends and foes alike. Friends of the San Juans Director Stephanie Buffum Field fears Marriner’s resignation is yet another loss that undermines the county’s ability to craft well-balanced plans for future growth. She points to a succession of experienced county officials who have either resigned or recently quit under duress, like former planning director Laura Arnold.

“We haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on all the issues, but Alan’s always been very professional, shown us the utmost courtesy, and he’s very knowledgeable about the issues,” Field said. “The county is losing a very valuable resource.”

With a population of nearly 70,000, Bellingham is the tenth largest city in Washington. Marriner will provide legal counsel for the planning department in his role with the city. Bellingham has 23 neighborhoods, each with its own “sub-area plan” and unique rules on development. City Attorney Joan Hosington said revising neighborhood plans to accommodate future growth and development is a top priority for her office this year.

Hosington manages a team of six attorneys, four of whom handle civil matters and another two that are responsible for criminal cases. His experience with state planning guidelines and the Growth Management Hearings Board placed Marriner at the top of a short-list of candidates, she said.

“His background with the state Growth Management Act and Land-Use Petition Act, we felt, set him apart from the other four candidates we interviewed,” Hosington said.

For the past four years, Marriner’s primary duty has been to help settle issues regarding the county Comprehensive Plan and the GMA. Despite a string of earlier successes, several controversial matters -- rules on guesthouses and boundaries of the urban growth areas in Eastsound and Lopez Village -- remain unresolved. Marriner said regulations on growth in urban areas differ greatly from those that apply to rural counties like San Juan, but the pending move fits well with his experience.

“It’ similar to a lot of the work I’ve been doing here with the county,” Marriner said of the city attorney post, “I see it as a good career move for me. I’m excited.”

Beyond legal work for the county, Marriner has also played a large role in the San Juan Island community. He is former chairman and current board member of San Juan Island Park and Recreation District, where he routinely coaches basketball, baseball and soccer teams. He and his wife Kelly Owen have three children, including a 14-month daughter. Owen, former editor of the Journal of the San Juan Islands, once worked for the county prosecutor’s office. She commutes to Bellingham every week, where she works part-time as an attorney. Marriner said the family will move to the city sometime after the end of the school year.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.