Blue Mass Group

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Tom Concannon for Middlesex Register of Probate — yes, it’s a write-in

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Unfortunately, it’s quite possible that Buonomo will win the Democratic primary, given the difficulties of mounting a successful write-in campaign.  If he does so, he may face opponents from the Republican party (John Lambert) and the Working Families party (Sean O’Donovan).  However, both of those candidates will need to get 1,000 write-in votes in the primary in order to appear on the Nov. 4 ballot.  If they can’t clear that threshold, the winner of the Democratic primary will be the only name on the ballot.

Should Buonomo win the general election, he may well subsequently be removed from office.  The Supreme Judicial Court has the authority to remove Registers of Probate “if sufficient cause is shown therefor and it appears that the public good so requires.”  A guilty plea or conviction would surely satisfy that standard.  At that point, Governor Patrick would name a replacement who would take over the office until the 2010 election (there is no special election for this office).  Thanks to ShillelaghLaw for digging out the links to the relevant statutes.

That course of events wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world — presumably the SJC’s current suspension order will remain in place until the criminal case is resolved, so we needn’t worry about Buonomo running the office while the charges against him are pending.  But it would surely be preferable not to re-elect the guy in the first place.  As we said above, it’s worth a shot.

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Comments

  1. I was wondering if one needed to write down the write-in’s address- this is from the Sec. State’s office link:

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    All write-in or sticker votes should include the correct name and address of the candidates, but the courts have decided that a vote should be counted whenever the intent of the voter can reasonably be determined, even if the voter omits the candidate’s address or makes a mistake in the name or address. However, such votes are counted for the office where the name is written or sticker placed.

    • There’s no way “Thomas B. Concannon, 8 Bacon St., Newton” is going to fit in the write-in spot if you’re using that thick pen that’s in the ballot box.  It’s good to know that the full name and address isn’t required.

  2. Somerville Alderman Sean O’Donovan is also running a write-in campaign, apparently on the Working Families Party ticket.

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    p>Frankly, I think this is a much smarter strategy. County-wide, it’s going to be difficult to beat Buonomo as a write-in on the Dem ticket. Better to get on the ballot any way possible in September and then take him out in the general. There’s more time for voter education.

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    p>I don’t know much about O’Donovan, really. I assume he doesn’t steal pocket money from state machines, so that’s a plus at least.

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    p>Some info here…

    • I got a mailing from Mr. O’Donovan and was confused about the line saying you can vote for him only if you are unenrolled.  I thought the piece implied he was a Democrat so Democrats could write him in on their ballot.  It seems to me that if he wants to get on the November ballot he should just run as an independent and skip 9/16 altogether.

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      p>BTW, I believe there is another candidate, a member of the Billerica DTC, but I forget his name.

      • you have to take a Democratic primary ballot, so you can’t write someone in as a Working Families candidate.  You could write O’Donovan in as a Democrat, I suppose, but since that’s not where he’s focusing his efforts, it probably won’t do much good.

    • If I understand it correctly, if he wins and withdraws his name from the ballot, then it’s time for another caucus!  Sometime before Thursday, Sept 25th at 5:00PM, delegates from all of the DTCs in Middlesex County would have to decide on a replacement name.

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      p>Folks from Watertown and Ward 9 of Cambridge are old pros at this now, if anyone has any questions đŸ˜‰

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      p>If I understand the law correctly, though, it’s going to have to be one big caucus.  Each town/ward gets one delegate for each 500 votes Deval Patrick got in that jurisdiction.

      • But he can (and likely will) withdraw from the general election ballot should he win the primary.  That should trigger the same sort of caucus that we went through in the 29th Middlesex after Rachel Kaprielian pulled her name off the primary ballot.

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        p>It’s probably a better use of resources for Concannon to try to convince caucus voters to go for him rather than the voters of the entire Middlesex County.

  4. Here are write-in stickers for Tom Concannon in two formats.  Both print on standard 1″ x 2 5/8″ labels (Avery 8160, 8460, 5260 or Staples equivalent).  (Be sure to print them at 100%, with no scaling.)

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    p>1 sticker with instructions
    Hand them out to people who need instructions.  The labels say:

    Sept. 16:  Write-In Tom Concannon
    for Middlesex County Register of Probate
    Cut along the dotted line.  Place the lower part
    in the blank line under “REGISTER OF PROBATE.”
    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
    THOMAS B. CONCANNON 8 Bacon Rd., Newton

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    p>3 stickers per label
    Cut these labels into strips with a paper cutter.

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    p>Note that Concannon’s address is:  8 BACON RD., not Street.

  5. So, what’s the consensus? Do we do the Concannon write-in / sticker? I talked with a poll worker today and she’s not thrilled with the idea of all the extra work to count the write-ins. However, she says it would be worth it if it means not having to have caucuses. The worst case would be both – getting lots of write-in votes but not enough to win.

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    p>If everyone agrees to one effort to get one name written in on the Democratic ballot, I’ll pass the word on and possibly find someone to print stickers.

  6. http://www.boston.com/news/loc…

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    John Buonomo, the Middlesex County probate register charged with stealing from the Registry of Deeds in Cambridge, has resigned.

    The Supreme Judicial Court had suspended him without pay after he was accused of stealing thousands of dollars from copy and cash machines. In a letter sent Friday to Gov. Deval Patrick, Buonomo quit his job, effective immediately.

    Buonomo’s attorney, Michael Natola, says his client wanted to devote his time to his two sons and his defense. He also says Buonomo didn’t feel it was right to hold public office given the charges.

    Natola says the resignation is not part of any potential plea bargain.

    Buonomo has pleaded not guilty to numerous counts of breaking and entering into a depository, theft of public property by a county officer and larceny under $250.

    • I just did a quick search and I have not seen any statement as to whether or not John would delecine the nomination.  I don’t see how his resignation now would have a legal impact on his nomination.  It is certainly reasonable to see it as a signal of an intention not to accept the nomination.  Is more information out there?

      • I heard on WBUR this morning that his lawyer said Buonomo would withdraw from the ballot if he won.  I have more on this given my newfound role as ballot vacancy expert on my blog, but I think I’ll cross-post it here since no one reads my blog anymore đŸ˜‰

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