Medford Resident Nominated for Register of Probate

DeChristofaro Gets Nod in County Democratic Caucus

– Allison Goldsberry

Medford lawyer Tara DeChristofaro received the Democratic Party’s nomination for Middlesex County Register of Probate in a special caucus held on Wednesday in Waltham.

DeChristofaro, a former Middlesex County Assistant District Attorney, was one of over a dozen candidates seeking the seat after current Register John Buonomo resigned following charges he allegedly stole money from copy and cash machines from the Registry of Deeds office.

DeChristofaro will be on the ballot for the November 4 election and faces no opposition from other parties, which essentially ensures her victory for the position.

The low-visibility, virtually unknown Register of Probate earns $110,000 per year to run a court that generally deals with family issues such as divorce, child support, and adoption.

The 37-year-old DeChristofaro has been practicing law in Massachusetts since 1997.  She said her experiences as an attorney with the Probate and Family Court encouraged her to run for the seat.

“I experienced the same situations with which other attorneys on this site would probably agree: lost records, lack of security for documents, a black hole for cases in scheduling future events or trials and outdated facilities,” wrote DeChristofaro on a local political blog.

DeChristofaro ran in a special election in 2000 for the seat and lost.  In 2003 she was appointed the Administrative Deputy Assistant Register under John Buonomo and is currently still in that position. 

Buonomo is the second Middlesex County Register of Deeds to come under scandal in recent memory.  In 2000, then-Register Robert Antonelli was removed from the job for abuse of authority.  Buonomo was elected in the special election that followed to replace Antonelli.

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Meet DeChristofaro and listen to her speech after the Democratic Caucus courtesy of JimmyMorse.com