MIDDLESEX CHAMBER NAMES RECIPIENT OF 2016 GOV. WILLIAM A. O’NEILL PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

Judge Marino on right (myrcordjournal.com)

 (Middletown, CT.)  Chairman Gregory Shook of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce announced that Judge Joseph D. Marino of Middletown has been named recipient of the chamber’s 2016 Governor William A. O’Neill Public Service Award. 

The Governor William A. O’Neill Public Service Award, presented since 2002, is awarded to an individual who has performed outstanding public service for Middlesex County and the State of Connecticut. The award is named after Governor O’Neill because he dedicated himself to public service during his tenure as a state legislator, Lieutenant Governor and Governor.

“We are proud to honor Judge Joseph D. Marino with the prestigious Governor William A. O’Neill Public Service Award. Judge Marino has served as Judge of Probate in the District of Middletown since January 1987, an important jurisdiction for mental health cases and family cases in the state. We congratulate his career in public service long and distinguished career and we certainly look forward to honoring him on November 21,” said Mary Ellen Klinck, chair of the nominating committee for the award and past chamber chairwoman.

Chamber President Larry McHugh noted, “We are proud to name Judge Marino as the recipient of the Governor William A. O’Neill Public Service Award, throughout his outstanding career in public service he has demonstrated his commitment to the community on the bench and outside of the bench. He has made our region much better for all our citizens. We look forward to presenting him with the award.” said The Governor William A. O’Neill Public Service Award will be presented on Monday, November 21, 2016, at the chamber’s Member Breakfast Meeting featuring United States Senator Chris Murphy.

The Member Breakfast Meeting, sponsored by The Mohegan Tribe, will be held at the Radisson Hotel Cromwell, 100 Berlin Road, Cromwell, with networking beginning at 7:00 a.m., breakfast buffet opens at 7:30 a.m., and the meeting program, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.  Advance registration required, please register on line: www.middlesexchamber.com. For more information, please visit www.middlesexchamber.com.

About Judge D. Marino:

Judge Joseph D. Marino has served as Judge of Probate for the District of Middletown since January

1987. He presides over one of the largest and busiest Courts in the state serving the residents of Cromwell, Durham, Middlefield and Middletown. With a population of over 74,000 people, the Middletown District handles thousands of matters per year. The court is unique for its volume of mental health cases due to the presence of Connecticut Valley Hospital, Middlesex Hospital, and Solnit Children's Center. The Middletown Court is also a part of the Central Connecticut Regional Children's Court in Meriden where Judge Marino presides over cases involving Custody, Guardianships, and Termination of Parental Rights. He is a graduate of Xavier High School and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio and his Law Degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. He is a past president of the Connecticut Probate Assembly and has been a member of numerous committees within the probate system and is currently serving on the Budget Committee which sets the staffing level, employee compensation and budgets for all the courts in the State, and on the Executive Committee and is the Chair of the Nominating Committee. Judge Marino maintains a law practice in Portland where he is legal counsel for Xavier High School and The East Hampton Housing Authority. He is the founder of a holiday gift drive for residents of local skilled nursing facilities and has coached youth soccer, basketball, and softball. He is a member, and current President, of the Middletown Rotary Club, the Middlesex County NAACP, the Italian Society of Middletown, and is President-Elect of the Middlesex County Bar Association. He is the recipient of the Community Service Award from the NAACP and the Paul Harris Community Service Fellowship Award from the Middletown Rotary Club.

Judge Marino and his wife, Donna, the Partnership Coordinator for Middletown Public Schools, have been married for 37 years and have three children.