DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — Nicholas L. Gerren Jr., a local attorney with two disciplinary law license suspensions on his record, has resigned as staff attorney for the Montgomery County child support enforcement agency, according to Amy Wiedeman, assistant county administrator.

Gerren resigned Jan. 29, three days after he started the job, giving no reason for his decision.

The hiring of Gerren, who has been active in local Democratic politics, by the three Democrats on county commission created controversy after it became public last month.

Gerren had the second lowest rating of six finalists for the job, according to the rankings done by the three-person panel of top child support officials. He scored a 22 out of 40 possible points. The highest scoring finalist had a 30, the lowest 18.

The county department of job and family services administrative council made the final recommendation to county commissioners, Wiedeman said.

Gerren's resume includes a recommendation from U.S. District Court Judge Walter A. Rice, who on Thursday, Feb. 5, said he has known Gerren for nearly four decades and feels he is "more than qualified" for the job. Rice said he's aware of Gerren's license suspensions, but believes the issues that led to those problems have been resolved and Gerren deserves a second chance.

Gerren's license to practice law was restored by the Ohio Supreme Court last February after an 18-month suspension and order to pay $20,000 in restitution to a client. The court found multiple violations of the Code of Professional Responsibility. Gerren remained on probation for that matter until Oct. 21, 2008, according to the county's background check.

Gerren was disciplined by the court in 2004 for drawing about $12,000 from a client's settlement fund for his own personal use, a violation that resulted in a six-month suspension of his license.

The Supreme Court also imposed monetary sanctions on Gerren in 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001 and 2003 for failure to comply with continuing legal education requirements.

Gerren's wife, Joyce, is a private consultant working for the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services, which oversees child support enforcement.

Gerren, who did not respond to a request for comment, most recently worked as special assistant to the president and CEO for the Dayton Urban League Inc. He is a former acting Dayton Municipal Court judge who ran unsuccessfully in 2002 as a Democrat for the Ohio House.

County Commission President Dan Foley said earlier that the decision to hire Gerren was not politically motivated and that he was hired because commissioners knew him and thought he'd do a good job. On Thursday, Foley said he'd been informed of Gerren's resignation.

"Beyond that I have no comment," Foley said.

The county will reopen the search for a child support staff attorney, a job that pays $49,005 annually.