The suicide of Middlesex Sheriff James DiPaola has puzzled political allies including Mayor Joe Curtatone. - Photo by Bobbie Toner

Mayor: Sheriff ‘good friend’ to Somerville

By George P. Hassett

The death of embattled Middlesex Sheriff James V. DiPaola from an apparent suicide Saturday continued this week to shock those who knew the former Malden cop, including in Somerville where DiPaola worked closely with officials on clean-up projects and large scale initiatives.

Mayor Joe Curtatone said DiPaola was “a very good friend to the city of Somerville.”

“If he could help out, you never had to ask him twice,” Curtatone said. “Just this past summer, Jim saved the city thousands of dollars by providing work crews to paint the interior of City Hall. Jim also was committed to rehabilitating prisoners in the County system, showing them that they can have a better life if they get cleaned up and stay on the straight and narrow. He did a lot of good in the Sheriff’s office and that should not go overlooked.”

DiPaola was found dead in a Wells, Maine resort hotel room from an apparent self inflicted gunshot wound. Wells Police said they found a multiple page note and firearm next to DiPaola. DiPaola had recently come under scrutiny for a plan to collect his pension and a salary from the sheriff’s office and had been facing a state ethics probe connected to campaign fundraising.

News of DiPaola’s death shocked political circles Saturday and throughout the week.

“This is a shocking and tragic event. I extend my deepest condolences to the DiPaola family and to the sheriff’s staff, all of whom are certainly reeling with this news. Sheriff DiPaola had a 30-year record of public service. Tonight we honor that service and pray for his family,” Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement.

DiPaola was first elected sheriff in 1996. In Somerville, he had advocated the idea of building a jail on the eastern side of the city that would also house a new public safety building for the Somerville Police Department.

DiPaola advocated for a jail in Somerville and toured potential locations in response to overcrowding at the jail in Cambridge and concerns about the current Somerville police building.

He often organized cleanups of Somerville sites, such as the Lowell Street Bridge, with inmates of Middlesex correctional facilities.