Friday, August 08, 2008

What is it about being Middlesex County Register of Probate?

It pays $110K a year, the duties aren't onerous, there is little opportunity for power-dementia or serious "snout in the trough" public corruption...and yet the last two imcumbents have foundered on the job with respect to public ethics.
Bob Antonelli was forcibly removed from office by the Supreme Judicial Court in 2000 and now John Buonomo, once the darling of Somerville progressives has been caught allegedly pilfering chump change from the office xerox machines.
This is worse than illegal it is simply humiliating....investigators so claims the Globe found a box under Buonomo's desk one hundred dollars in ones.
Cheap and stupid, lord we know how to find em' in Middlesex County.
Good ghod this is something straight out of William S. Burroughs and his fantasies of running for County Sewer Commission in Saint Louis.
The great man put it so economically and so elegantly:
"I hoped at one time to become commissioner of sewers for St. Louis County–$300 a month, with the possibility of getting one’s shitty paws deep into a slush fund".

Does anyone out there wanna run for this office, it pays more than a State Senator for God's Sake! All you have to do is sign some forms, stay on a budget, keep yer mitts off the petty cash and decline to tomcat around with your subordinates.
Simple huh?
Apparently not the last two went to smash on the job.
What is worse, Buonomo is unopposed for re-election and the calendar has run out on a primary challenge as well. Anyone who wants this mishaugas will have to hazard a write-in campaign a daunting challenge that requires a tough all-up ground game through-out the county on election day.
I can certainly think of some names right now but I doubt they'd wanna undertake such a thankless task.
Right now I think I'd trade down on competence if we can trade up on private and public rectitude when it comes to this office at least.
Hell the staff does 90% of the work in those gigs, treat them right and joint will hum like a beehive.

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