Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • February 24, 2010 Franklin Lakes Municipal court judge concludes 38 years on bench by Frank J. McMahon Franklin Lakes Municipal Court Judge Vincent Marino has retired from the bench after 38 years of service to the borough. Appointed in 1972 when William F. Kinney Jr. was the mayor, Marino was the municipal prosecutor prior to being appointed to the municipal court bench and he was in his own law practice in Paterson. He currently practices law, and will continue to do so, in the Barbarula Law Offices in Butler. Marino was also the municipal court judge in Ramsey for 35 years. When he was not reappointed to a new term in that borough this year, he said he realized there would be a substantial reduction in his municipal court income and that would negatively impact his state pension if he continued to serve in Franklin Lakes alone. He was also concerned about the possibility that municipal court judges may soon be taken out of the state pension program. He applied for retirement benefits as of Feb. 1 and he notified Franklin Lakes Mayor Maura DeNicola and Judge Roy F. McGeady, the presiding municipal court judge in the Bergen Vicinage II Court in Hackensack, so an acting judge could be appointed in Franklin Lakes until a permanent replacement is appointed. Recalling his many years on the bench in Franklin Lakes, Marino said that, when he started his first term, the borough was relatively small and had little farms and farm animals. A lot of the cases he heard in those days involved people being disturbed by chickens and roosters. He remembered one man in the early 1990s who had a large accumulation of chickens and roosters and a complaint was filed against him under the borough’s noise ordinance. That fowl owner brought his roosters to court to show they did not make any noise, but his neighbor brought recordings of the roosters crowing. Marino said the rooster owner claimed he was in town before his neighbors, saying the law did not, therefore, apply to him. “He usually appeared without an attorney and claimed that under natural law he should be immune to prosecution,” Marino said. He added that, although the matter came before him several times and even went to mediation in Hackensack, the dispute did not end until the rooster owner moved out of town. Marino said there was another recent rooster annoyance case before him recently, but he did not rule on that case because it was transferred to the Hillsdale Municipal Court. As time went on, he said there were more mundane traffic cases. As the borough expanded, he began to hear domestic violence and restraining order cases, shoplifting cases, and other more complex cases. Over the years, he said there were also some cases involving celebrities who lived in the borough. Marino graduated from Paterson Central High School and was a professional musician before he attended and graduated from Seton Hall University and Seton Hall Law School. His uncle, who was a superintendent of schools in Paterson, urged him to attend college, something no one else in the family had done. Because he looked up to his uncle, he decided to take his advice and attend college and law school. He was drafted into the army before he was able to take the bar exam and he spent two years playing the trumpet in the U.S. Army Band. He then passed the bar exam on his first try in 1958 and went into his law practice in 1960. To qualify for the bar exam at that time, he had to serve nine months as a law clerk. He served under Judge Salvatore Viviano in Passaic County after Chief Justice Arthur T. Vanderbilt authorized him to serve in that capacity. Marino and his fellow law school graduates celebrated their 50th anniversary of their graduation in 2008 when they were the honored guests of the Seton Hall Law School at the Prudential Center in Newark. Marino and his wife Charlotte have three children and nine grandchildren, including two sets of twins who live in Wyckoff. Two of his children and the balance of their grandchildren live in Pennsylvania. Marino thinks he may be the longest serving municipal court judge in the county and he does not remember any of his decisions ever being overturned on appeal. He explained that the attributes he has found to be necessary for a successful judge include being patient and a good listener, and being fair to people no matter where they come from or who they are. “I pride myself on being fair to people and making good decisions,” he said. “The main thing is to be considerate of people and not to denigrate them, and to use common sense and treat them fairly.” Marino was especially complimentary of his municipal court administrators in both Franklin Lakes, where he was supported for many years by Beverly Pyskaty and Judy Lubrano, and in Ramsey, where he was supported by Mary Pasichnyk and Kathy Viggiano. “I really appreciate the work they do for the court,” he said, explaining that they administer the court every day while the judge comes in four times a month. In October 2006, the Franklin Lakes Municipal Court administrators were honored by Judge McGeady and Municipal Division Manager Brendis Montijo-Wrigley of the Bergen Vicinage II Court in Hackensack for providing exceptional customer service to the public. McGeady also praised Marino at the time for his compliance to court procedures and his technical judgment. OCEANFRONT HOUSE with Private Beach Access FOR SALE (near historic Beaufort and Parris Island). Ranch style with extended lg. deck overlooking the ocean and own beach access, screened porch, 4 BR, 2½ baths, full kitchen, great room with fireplace. 2-car garage. Fully furnished. Sleeps 8-10. In gated community featuring 2 championship golf courses, several swimming pools, racquet club, bike trails, marina and more. WATERFRONT HOUSE ON FRIPP ISLAND, SC Call Island Realty of the Low Country; Vic Schwarzer, Agent: toll free 1-888-374-7747; cell 843-597-2491 or check website: frippforsale.com