Keohane for Register of Probate


1221676304I wasn’t planning to mount a political campaign when I got up yesterday morning. Being a resident of Middlesex County, I was compelled to write in at least one name at the primary. John Buonomo, the now-former Register of Probate who was bagged stealing change from a copy machine not so long ago, was running unopposed, so his resignation opened the field to any number of write-in candidates.

Not being familiar with any of them, I planned to do what any red-blooded American in my situation would have done: vote for unstoppable Somerville News editor, and my former intern, George Hassett.

But sometime yesterday morning, I changed my mind and turned on Hassett with the sort of cold calculation unseen since Nixon’s “Checkers” speech. Instead, I voted for myself. This created an unexpected tide of sorts, and by the end of the day, I had accumulated not one, but three votes—that I know of.

The tally isn’t in yet on the Probate job, but seeing as there may be thousands of candidates in the running, I like my chances. If elected, I cannot promise to not rob the office blind, but I can say I won’t be as stupid and blatant about it as Buonomo was. After all, that sort of thing reflects badly on you, my constituents. And that’s some spare change you can believe in.

The rest of the primaries were far less consequential than my bid, but still, they’re worth mentioning. Shockingly, old tax-challenged warhorse Dianne Wilkerson was felled by scrappy upstart Sonia Chang-Diaz, in spite of having collected every single endorsement known to man.

BZ’s Jon Keller has a smart take on the upset, suggesting that while Wilkerson’s supporters were forgiving when it came to the senator’s tax troubles, her abuses of campaign funds and failure to even collect signatures last time around served as the tipping point.

The Phoenix’s Chris Faraone was at the victory party:

“On my way out I saw an older gay couple walking toward the Alchemist with no clue about the rally. One saw the campaign signs and commotion and, realizing that Chang-Diaz won, expressed his disapproval: ‘Disgusting,’ he said. Without hesitation they entered the bar anyway.”

Less surprisingly, John Kerry beat back Gloucester attorney Ed O’Reilly’s challenge, but not as soundly as he would have liked. After pulling a shocking 23 percent at the state convention, EdO cleared over 30 percent in the primary. Not a bad run for a neophyte with a self-funded campaign against a 24-year incumbent. Kerry was ever gracious in victory, refusing to so much as utter the name of the man who had the audacity to challenge him, and dismissing EdO to the Globe as a mere “mischief maker.”

Of course, that’s not particularly accurate. It was the state delegates who made the mischief by putting EdO on the ballot to punish Kerry for myriad sins. EdO wasn’t looking to simply make mischief; he was running full-throttle for reasons of principle. EdO was just being EdO.