When longtime Arvada City Attorney Rachel Morris first came to work at city hall, it was for an internship opportunity she accepted before going on to work in the private sector for a few years. Over a decade later, when Morris saw that Arvada was looking for an employment law attorney, she jumped at the opportunity to return to the place where her career got started.
After serving as Arvada’s City Attorney since 2019, Morris will depart the city team on Oct. 21 to begin a new chapter working in the Colorado Attorney General’s office. Starting on Oct. 19, longtime Deputy City Attorney Nora Steenson will begin serving as interim city attorney while the city team works to find a permanent replacement.
For Morris’ part, working at the City of Arvada has always been about a desire to give back to her community through public service.
“Public service has always been something that's really, really fascinated me,” Morris said. “I grew up as a missionary's child in a foreign country, and my parents have always been teachers. My dad was a police officer for a while, that sort of thing. So public service is really a part of who I am.”
Prior to her departure, Morris sat down with the Arvada Press to discuss her tenure at the city, the role of the city attorney, and what comes next.
Editor’s note: This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Arvada Press (AP): What drew you to practicing law in a municipal setting?
Rachel Morris (RM): I did a lot of public service as a...
[OSEN=Choi Lee-jung Reporter] As past remarks by singer Yang Hong-won expressing his dislike of infidelity resurface, reactions continue to grow that the recent 'motel infidelity allegations' agai...