Eugene C. Brune, current Register of Deeds, will be retiring soon.

By Cathleen Twardzik

Mayor of Somerville from 1980 to 1989, Eugene C. Brune, current Register of Deeds, has announced he will retire soon.  As register, he serves the Middlesex County Southern District, which is comprised of 44 cities and towns. Middlesex South is the largest registry in the state and, possibly, the eighth largest in the country.

“Perhaps the most rewarding part of my job as register was in 1989,” said Brune.  Interestingly, he “brought in a digital imaging system, newly designed by Wang Laboratories, into our registry.”  That enabled images of recorded documents to be captured.

The process involved utilizing document scanners, which resembled and worked similarly to photocopiers. Images were then saved on optical disks. Importantly, imaging made a one-step process possible.

The previous traditional technique required “searching through the computer index and then physically locating the appropriate record books for review. With imaging the index search and image display can be done quickly and easily at a single public terminal. We were the first in the country to bring imaging into a registry of deeds. Because of being the first, we gave 122 tours of our system to others, which included 22 foreign countries,” said Brune, who has spoken at several imaging seminars throughout this country.

At present, Brune’s position as register entails offering a depository of all of the transactions and legal kept safe and up-to-date.

On November 9, at the Holiday Inn in Somerville, Brune received the Excellence in Public Service Award from the Somerville Chamber of Commerce documents, which pertain to property in this district.

“I have always believed that small businesses are the fabric that makes our city, state and country strong. Small businesses produce jobs. With small businesses, you are not a number, [but] you are a name and a face, and that’s important,” said Brune.

His most recent project at the registry of deeds involved renovating the majority of his departments. However, that primarily revolved around the Recorded and Registered Land recording counters and “the public areas for the title examiners, as well as the general public.”  That endeavor spanned a few months. The challenge was to ensure that the registry remain open continuously for recording, while the renovations were in progress.
“I believe that one of my major accomplishments as mayor was to change our city charter to eliminate elected assessors and bring in professional appointed assessors,” he said.

Brune also accomplished the renovation of Somerville High School. At that time a new wing was constructed, and the school became a comprehensive high school. That gave students the chance to experience college courses, as well as select a trade, if either were of personal interest.

During his mayoral years, Brune brought Somerville’s financial records up-to-date. That action made it possible for the auditor and the treasurer “to determine our free cash.”

Brune also formed three new departments: Purchasing, Personnel, and Traffic and Parking. Lastly, Art Beat and the Senior Picnic, as well as several community-oriented commissions also characterized his time as mayor.

“I would say that some of the most rewarding [of some of his additional positions] include being one of the founders and the first President of the Somerville Boys and Girls Club, being President of The Massachusetts Municipal Association, being Chairman of the Somerville Board of Health and serving as a Director of The Cambridge Health Alliance. Each of those positions allowed me to help others,” he said.

Brune does not “consider myself retiring altogether. I am leaving my position as register of deeds, as I want more time off.”

He plans to travel and spend more time at his place up north.

“I am kept quite busy assisting constituents, providing homestead seminars, addressing employee issues, planning budgets and meeting with department supervisors and state officials,” said Brune.

“My advice to people starting out in their careers is to, above all, enjoy what you would be doing, and you will do it well.  I tell my employees, whenever I can, that having a good attitude will do wonders for your career, and it will be appreciated by your fellow employees, and especially your employer and supervisors,” he said.

What are Brune’s future goals or project plans during his retirement? “Loving politics as much as I do, I can’t picture myself being out of politics entirely. I guess it depends on my health and the time constraints required in any particular position that I would want to pursue. Time will tell. Maybe I will be happy, finally, doing nothing, but I doubt it.  Possibly, my biggest challenge will be to learn how to relax,” he said.