Sacco: Why Do We Elect a Register of Probate?
Middlesex County Register of Probate John Buonomo, pictured at right, is accused of allegedly stealing taxpayer funds.
Does electing county officers make sense, especially to administrative positions which should demand someone well trained as a professional administrator?
In the aftermath of the spotlight on the activities of the current Register of Probate, a number of politicians are considering mounting write-in campaigns in the coming election, attracted by the $110,000 per year plus pension and other benefits. The question should be asked at this juncture: Should this office be an elected “political plum” for which any person can run or should it be one for which only appropriately trained administrative professionals need apply. Why do we elect a Register of Probate? We might add any other county offices to that question!
As a legislator some decades ago, I filed legislation to abolish county government…Since that time, some county offices have been eliminated — the outdated political County Commissioners and County Treasurer are examples. Now we should finish the overhaul and save the taxpayers millions of dollars and save the voters from having to choose between name-game political candidates that have dominated these offices for the past century.
As the name of some jobs imply, Registrars register things and keep them safe: deeds, wills, trusts, family papers, etc. There are no legislative, executive or judicial duties to perform in these jobs. That being the case, an administrator that is professionally trained in understanding, implementing and overseeing appropriate state-of-the-art record keeping technologies would more likely have the expertise to direct the functions in the registries in ways to provide optimal safe-keeping and cost-effective service to the public at the same time. It is fortunate that all the most recent Middlesex Registers of Probate have benefited from the assistance of some very able and qualified women who have been excellent assistant Registrars such as Marie Gardin, who is presently the acting Registrar. She is more than qualified to be Registrar but being elected Registrar means entering a county-wide world of politics where success is dictated by factors other than your expertise in the office you seek.
Recent developments have highlighted the office of the Middlesex County Registrar of Probate and led to a flurry of interest among various politicians looking at this office as a political plum and investigating the feasibility of launching write-in campaigns at this late date in the election cycle. This office should not be looked upon as a “political prize” but as an office requiring professional management and maybe these recent developments will direct attention to this fact and promote legislation that will abolish these positions as elective positions in the next legislative year. Make these positions professional appointed positions and seek out qualified professional candidates whose timely appointment and dismissal can be based on meeting high performance standards and not be subject to the whim of politics and an election cycle.
Middlesex County has had some outstanding Registrars of Deeds and Probate and I do not wish to diminish their accomplishments in calling for these posts to now become appointed positions. We can no longer depend on luck in electing the most competent managers. The requirements and cost of these positions and the nature of elective politics today demand that we appoint professional managers and allow for more immediate and direct accountability. Let’s join together and finish reforming our county government.
Attorney George Sacco, Badger Road