Campaign for change

O’Donovan to challenge Buonomo

By George P. Hassett

The elected official who allegedly stole thousands of dollars from government copy machines could face a challenge from a Somerville alderman in November.

Ward 5 Alderman Sean T. O’Donovan told the Somerville News on Tuesday that he will challenge John Buonomo for Middlesex County Register of Probate. Buonomo was arrested last week for allegedly stealing cash out of copy machines at the Registry of Deeds office. Video of Buonomo, a former Somerville alderman, crouching down and pocketing cash and change from the machines was played repeatedly on local news stations.

O’Donovan said the incident is the reason he is challenging Buonomo. “When I first saw the Middlesex County Register of Probate stealing taxpayer money, I was shocked and dismayed. I immediately wanted to run to restore professionalism and ethics to that office,” he said.

Buonomo will be the only Democratic candidate on the ballot in November. O’Donovan, a Democrat, said he may run for the office as a candidate with another party. If he gets 1,000 votes as a write-in candidate with another party in the Sept. 16 primary his name will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot alongside Buonomo, he said.

He would not immediately say what party he would try to appear on the ballot under.

If he seeks reelection, Buonomo would be asking for votes as he faces charges that could land him in a jail cell for 20 years. After his arraignment last week, Buonomo’s lawyer Michael F. Natola said his client would seek reelection.

Buonomo, who is paid $110,000 a year, was captured on video surveillance cameras eight times between June 23 and Aug. 5 approaching copy and cash machines in the Registry of Deeds office in Cambridge, kneeling down and stuffing bills and change from the machines into his back pocket while looking continuously to his left and right, prosecutors said. Buonomo would usually take cash from the machines at the end of the workday, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said they began an investigation after as much as $2,000 a month was reported to be missing from the Registry of Deeds copy and cash machines. The Registry of Deeds is located in the same building in Cambridge as Buonomo’s probate office.

“It is highly troubling that a public official would engage in the kind of brazen theft of public monies that we allege here,” Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone said after Buonomo’s arrest. “We believe that Mr. Buonomo violated the public’s trust by regularly accessing these cash machines without authority and stealing taxpayer money.”

Buonomo was arrested Wednesday, August 6, and charged with breaking and entering into a depository, eight counts of theft of public property by a county officer and eight counts of larceny under $250. In court on Thursday, prosecutors said Buonomo initially told arresting officers he was taking the money to buy office supplies.

The register of probate oversees estates, child custody, divorces and adoptions.

Buonomo was first elected to the post in 2000 after a special election to replace another Somerville politician, Robert B. Antonelli, who was removed from the job for abusing his authority.
Buonomo has a long history in Somerville. He was first elected to public office in the city in 1979 as a school committee member. He then served as the Ward 4 alderman for 12 years and ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1989 and 1999.

O’Donovan was on the School Committee from 1995 to 2000 and has served as Ward 5 alderman since 2000.

Comments

[Somerville n00b]

So, Somerville veterans, what do you think of this O'Donovan guy? Is he honest? Is he competent? Is he intelligent? Is he balanced, emotionally?

Just by the picture (which is a ridiculous way to judge), the guy seems arrogant to me and likely to have a temper problem. There is just something bullish about him. Just by the picture, that's why I'm asking for objective information.

[Famous Lines]

"I'm shocked - shocked, I tell you."

[JARfromWard3]

Getting 1000 write-ins county-wide in September will probably be relatively easy. As far as which party goes, I would think that Sean would almost have to run as a Republican, although he could run as a "Green Rainbow" or "Working Family", both of whom will have ballots at the September primary. Should be interesting.

73
JAR

[Alan Moore]

Can someone explain why this register of probate is an elected position? What public policies does the person impact? What political questions should we be asking the candidates? (am I being naive?)- is this just a easy, well-paying job that should be a civil service position or simply eliminated?

[eastsomerville]

"is this just a easy, well-paying job that should be a civil service position or simply eliminated?"

Yes, yes and yes. Like most of county government, the duties of this "elected office" can be summarized as getting yourself elected to get paid to do next-to-nothing and maybe hire a few cronies who helped you get elected.

County government is a relic of a bygone era. Any actual work done could be much more efficiently done at the state or local level. Mostly it's just one more way for the politically connected to get themselves onto the public payroll.

[County Government]

I think county government is much more relevant in rural areas, where the states are very large, and the towns are very small, therefore a county-wide government seems to be a good fit. Not so relevant in this area. In fact, if I remember correctly, Middlesex County government was actually abolished several years ago. Makes you wonder how we keep electing/hiring and paying employees for a government entity which does not exist! JAR, your thoughts/expertise??

[Ron Newman]

Right - we don't have a county government, but we still have an elected district attorney, sheriff, register of deeds, register of probate, and I think one or two clerks of courts. What exactly did it mean to abolish the county government?

[Emma Clark]

Well, I think O'donovan is the right guy to hold the office!I'm a lifelong democrat from the old school and I've followed O'Donovan's races for some time now! And like I said, he looks good to me and my husband!I would also like to introduce him to my daughter! He looks like he would also make a wonderful son-in-law!
Emma Clark

[Diogenes]

Replace a petty larcenist with a grand larcenist. Brilliant! More gets' stolen, but there's no video or paper trail.

[wow]

Wow, Noob, you really are new in town. Why the hell would you go online and make comments about a city you don't know anything about? Why don't you sit back for a little bit and learn something before you open your mouth about anything in this city.

[Ron Newman]

A question for O'Donovan: if you win this seat, do you intend to remain on the Board of Alderman as well?

[Ron Newman]

JAR - the Cambridge Chronicle has an article saying that O'Donovan will run on the Working Families line.

[Tricky]

JAR - If SO'D runs on the Working Families line, isn't he going to have to enlist registered WFP voters, or get a bundle of people to change party registration to pull this off? If so, he's got to be careful he doesn't take out a chunk of potential Trane voters in Wards 4 and 7.

Serious props to the headline writer, BTW, although "Campaign for Pocket Change" would be more like it.

[Ron Newman]

Tricky - In the primary, he can get votes only from registered WFP voters (all three of them?) or registered independents (unenrolled0.

[Courtney O'Keefe]

Unfortunately, Emma, Mr. O'Donovan was married in May.

[Somerspeak]

"And like I said, he looks good to me and my husband!"

Besides being married, I don't think SOD swings both ways either.

[Dialing For Dollars]

New video game show Dialing for Dollars. Lets pick at name come on down the Registry of Probate John Buonomo. You are the next contestant on Dialing for Dollars

[JARfromWard3]

Ron:

"Tricky - In the primary, he can get votes only from registered WFP voters (all three of them?) or registered independents (unenrolled)."

Therein lies part of the problem. There are a couple of statewide races which may cause either republicans or democrats to court unenrolled voters. The US Senate primary between John Kerry and the other guy is one such race.

Any voters that Sean gets to take WFP ballots have to vote that party's candidates only. He MAY have been better off running as a republican, but that's just an opinion.

Bottom line though is that this County Government thing may have run its course. I remember Mr. McSweeney railing against it (among other staid institutions) 32 years ago in US History class at SHS. He was ahead of his time!

73
JAR

[curt and tony]

if OD wins this and decides to give up the ward alderman seat will the Mayor appoint someone or will there be a special election?

[Cosmo]

Go get them Sean - you are by far the best person to clean up!

[Ron Newman]

If O'Donovan resigns his alderman seat any time after November 3, 2008, there will be an appointment rather than a special election. However, the board of aldermen are responsible for making the appointment, not the mayor.

[Explanation, please]

Can someone (JAR?) please explain something to me. Unless I am not understanding it correctly, O'Donovan appears to be asking people to switch their party affiliation at City Hall in order to vote for him. My understanding (having been unenrolled for many years) is that an unenrolled voter can take whatever ballot they choose. Why would voters need to switch their party designation to vote for him? And you are, of course, correct that you would then be unable to vote for a Republican or a Democratic candidate.

[Somerspeak]

Now that's what I call a classic Freudian slip Cosmo.

[Ron Newman]

If you are now registered as a Democrat or Republican or Green, you would have to switch your party affiliation to Working Families Party (WFP) by next Wednesday in order to vote for O'Donovan in September.

If you are now registered as unenrolled, you can take a WFP ballot next month without changing your registration. However, by doing so you will give up your ability to vote in the state Democratic primary (John Kerry vs Ed O'Reilly, Carl Sciortino vs Bob Trane).

[atasca from cambridge]

I was suprised that i did not see Joe from Atasca's Resteraunt at the fundraiser. It was recently confirmed that he has close ties to Tony Lafunete. I also heard that he had a no/show job recieving 18 hours per week pay including benefits. Is this the same guy that owns the breakfast resteraunt in Kendall Sq,? Is this the same guy that was giving cash to Lafuente and Buonomo? This guy is a sneak, thank god that Tony L. didn't get elected! Tony and Joe's behavior would have directly affected Somerville!

[JARfromWard3]

Ron:
That is exactly my point. Whomever takes a WFP ballot cannot vote for candidates from other parties that they may want to or be asked to vote for. This is a significant thing, and not just in Somerville. I'm pretty sure there are Democratic primary contests in a number of Middlesex County cities and towns. There are at least two people running for State rep. in Stoneham. You have to figure that both candidates are I-D'ing their respective voter bases.

It would have been much easier for Sean to run as a republican (assuming he were able to change parties). I'm SURE the state GOP would forgive Sean his well-stated enmity toward the republicans to get a well-known candidate like him on the November ballot.

73
JAR