We submitted questions to the six candidates for Register of Deeds. The candidates’ responses are listed in alphabetical order according to their last names.

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Response by
Robert B. Antonelli

 

Short bio:

 

What qualifications do you have that makes you the best candidate for this position?

 

Why have you decided to run for Register of Deeds?

 

What do you feel is the most important duty of the Register of Deeds?

 

What is the number one issue you would address once elected?

 

Comment (anything you would like to add)

 

The candidate refused to respond to questions after numerous telephone calls, also unlike the rest of the candidates he didn’t have a web site to refer to.

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Response by
Frank Ciano

 

Short bio:

A graduate of Boston College School of Management and Suffolk University Law School, founder of Cambridge Lions and member Sons of Italy. Attorney Ciano has been recognized by the Italian community with invitations from the Consul General of Italy and the Italian Ambassador. He is the recipient of the best of the best award of the Pirandello Lyceum and served as president of the Middlesex Bar Association and Cambridge, Arlington Belmont  Bar Association and the Mass. Bar House of Delegates. A small businessman and lawyer, he has fought for the people against banks and insurance companies and has been consulted by many businesses and is Chairman Emeritus of the Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts.

 

What qualifications do you have that makes you the best candidate for this position?

The education, background and experience of Attorney Ciano arms him with all necessary tools to get the job of Register of Deeds done effectively and efficiently.

 

Why have you decided to run for Register of Deeds?

The wait time at the registry, the 7+ year backlog in registered land are challenges which brought Attorney Ciano into the race, when the existing register chose not to run.

 

What do you feel is the most important duty of the Register of Deeds?

The Register MUST in a timely manner record all papers, which comply with the law. The duty to the public to answer questions and assist and be available to the public. In this day of robo signing, the Register must be vigilant to these incorrect practices and reject such robo signed papers and report same to our Attorney General. The DUTY to PUBLIC is of paramount importance.

 

What is the number one issue you would address once elected?

The 7+ year backlog and wait time and failure to receive and record papers within a business day will END, when I am elected.

 

Comment (anything you would like to add)

As president of two major Bar Associations, I have the respect of the fellow workers at the Registry and my training in business will be used to FIX the backlog and make the Registry yours again. The register is there to help the people and do their business and too long that has not occurred. I shall use flextime and priority counter service so that no one will be turned away and your DEED will get recorded. I shall answer telephones, and email and investigate use of software to assist my coworkers to end the BACKLOG. VOTE CIANO and take your registry BACK.

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Response by
Tom Concannon

 

I am a former Mayor of the City of Newton and was the first Democrat elected to that position.

During this same period Newton was selected as the first or  second safest city in Country with a population over 75,000 people.

As a former Mayor, I am proud of the of supervision of over 2,500 employs and the fact that Newton had a triple A bond rating during my term of office.

I have two children, Kate Concannon and Maureen McDonald as well as a three (3) year old grandson, Finn McDonald.

I graduated from Boston College with a business degree in Economics. I then received a Masters in Elementary Education from the University of Massachusetts at Boston I then taught fifth grade for 3 years in Maynard Massachusetts. I then graduated from  Suffolk Law School. I have practiced law for over forty years in Newton Massachusetts.

I have received many awards during my lifetime in Newton.

In 2012 I was honored with a lifetime achievement award by NewTV the local cable access station in Newton.

I was also selected as man of the year in 2012 by the Newton Cultural Alliance , an organization that was founded to encourage the advancement of culture in the City of Newton.

I have been endorsed by many present and former elected officials such as Joseph DeNucci, former Massachusetts State Auditor.

The Middlesex South District of Deeds is one of the busiest Registry of Deeds in the United Stated. The annual budget of the office is 3.1 million dollar and it generates over $65,000,000.00 dollars to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Register of Deeds is responsible for all the documents in the Registry of Deeds.

If elected to this office I intend to use every effort I am capable of to make the Middlesex Southern District Registry of Deeds the best run Registry of Deeds in the Country

It is a difficult and demanding job and that’s why I decided to run for it.

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Response by
Maria Curtatone

 

Short bio:

I am the first generation daughter of Cosmo and Maria Curtatone. I am one of three children, my brothers being Mayor Joseph Curtatone of Somerville and Cosmo Curtatone. I am the proud parent of Isabella and Michael.

I am a graduate of Somerville High School. I attended Emmanuel College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management. Following, I obtained my Juris Doctor at New England School of Law. I am admitted to the Massachusetts Bar, United States District Court, United States Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

For the last 25 years, I have owned and operated law offices in Somerville. Prior to that, I was an Assistant Administrator and Operations Manager in the long-term healthcare industry. I also operated and sponsored a Radio Program aired on WJIB/WRCA and was the Radio Host and Program Director of a Radio Program aired on WLYN.

 

What qualifications do you have that makes you the best candidate for this position?

For over 25 years, I have managed budgets and personnel in both large and small businesses. As a practicing attorney, I have insight into the workings of the Registry.  From my own experiences, I can improve services and operate the Registry with less red tape. It is my opinion no one knows better what services are needed than the people themselves. Overall, I will bring the best of the private sector to work for the public good.

So whether you think the next Register should be an administrator or an attorney, with me you do not have to choose one or the other: I’m both.

 

Why have you decided to run for Register of Deeds?

As an attorney and an administrator, I have had many interactions with the Registry of Deeds. I have gained a wealth of knowledge regarding the workings at the Registry of Deeds and the needs of the office. I believe, as a tri-lingual proven administrator and practicing attorney, I am best prepared to take on the administrative responsibilities and legal obligations of this office. In my work experience managing budgets and personnel, while in the private sector, I have identified the problems that exist at the Registry and I am ready produce solutions.

In doing so, I will end the 8 year backlog in the processing of registered land documents and utilize state-of-the-art technology to make the Registry more accessible, efficient and user-friendly. I will ensure information security with property records, promote and implement a focus on customer service and create a system using plain and simple instructions with multi-lingual capabilities.

 

What do you feel is the most important duty of the Register of Deeds?

Providing excellent service in the recording, safekeeping and accessing of important documents efficiently and without backlog or delay.  As trained specialists, employees won’t just file and retrieve information, they’ll be able to help people manage it.  The goal is simple: provide outstanding customer service in order to help people make good use of information, instead of being overwhelmed by it.

 

What is the number one issue you would address once elected?

The biggest problem currently facing the registry is the 8 year backlog in registered land records. I will utilize my skills and experience that I have accumulated during the past 25 years to serve the people of Middlesex County and eliminate this backlog. In order to implement services where needed, I will effectively allocate the budget and I will do so with transparency. I will conduct regional meetings to form a working partnership with the people, leading to better ideas and reforms.

 

Comment (anything you would like to add)

Being your Register of Deeds will be more than a full time job, it will be my around-the-clock commitment.

Some campaigns feature a line of politicians, but it’s the people who are lining up with me. That’s because I listen to their ideas. What’s exciting is, their ideas are included in my reforms to improve services.

I am the only candidate with the proven legal and administrative skills who can successfully bring the improvements to the Registry that Middlesex County deserves.

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Response by
Tiziano Doto

 

Short bio:

I grew up and went to school in Somerville, the son of Italian immigrants. I went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree from Salem State University and a Juris doctorate degree from Massachusetts School of Law. I am an elected member of the Wakefield Board of Selectman, and has served on the Wakefield Zoning Board of Appeals and have Chaired the Collective Bargaining Committee. I have practiced law in Somerville and Stoneham since 1993 specializing in commercial and residential real estate and title transactions. I am also a Licensed Real Estate Broker and have served as Title Counsel for a leading provider of title insurance solutions to the legal real estate market. I was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1993, the Federal Appeals Court 1st Circuit and the Federal District Court 1st Circuit in1994. My wife, Allyson (Druce) and I reside in Wakefield with our three children.

 

What qualifications do you have that makes you the best candidate for this position?

I serve on the Wakefield Board of Selectman where I have dealt with multimillion dollar budgets and negotiated public employee contracts. I have practiced law in Somerville and Stoneham since 1993 specializing in commercial and residential real estate and title transactions. I am also a Licensed Real Estate Broker and have served as Title Counsel for a leading provider of title insurance. Through my work as an attorney specializing in real estate and title law, I know first-hand how the Registry of Deeds operates and I know what needs to be done to improve it.  I have the experience, professional background, and determination it will take to make significant changes there and to get that job done.

 

Why have you decided to run for Register of Deeds?

I am running for Registrar of Deeds because I believe that it’s time to take patronage, favoritism and politics out of the Registry and turn it into a professional, modern, user friendly office that every citizen can count on. This view is shared by taxpayers across the county who expect more service than they are getting from public institutions.  My many years of work as an attorney and realtor has given me firsthand, in-depth experience with and understanding of the Registrar of Deeds office and what needs to be done to make it work better.

 

What do you feel is the most important duty of the Register of Deeds?

The most important responsibility of the Registry of Deeds is to create, maintain and guarantee the accuracy of all land and title records and transactions in the 44 communities of Southern Middlesex County offering a safe and up-to-date depository of all of the transactions. To fulfill that responsibility requires a hands-on Register of Deeds, experienced in the real estate law and title field, committed to providing excellent service to those depending on the Registry for accurate information and recordkeeping. It also requires a Register of Deeds who will assemble and manage a well trained and detail oriented staff hired for qualifications and evaluated on performance, not political connections.

 

What is the number one issue you would address once elected?

Making long overdue changes is job one. My agenda is clear:

– I will conduct a complete audit of the office’s budget and personnel to remove duplication and waste.

– I will hire and promote only on qualifications, experience and performance. How you do your job will be more important than who you know.

– I will accept NO donations from unions representing Registry workers. Negotiating employee contracts must be above reproach and without bias.

– I will accept NO donations from registry employees or their immediate family.

– I will remove any question of political favoritism in the Registry workplace.

– I will reject all robo-signature documents that threaten the validity of homeowner’s deeds. And I will support legislation to outlaw all robo-signatures in the Commonwealth.

– I will make the registry website more efficient and user-friendly and speed up electronic deeds recording.

– I will make improving customer service and clearing up current backlogs a priority.

 

Comment (anything you would like to add)

It’s time to make the Registry of Deeds work better for the people it serves. It’s time to take the politics, favoritism and inefficiency out of the Registry and replace it with professionalism, effective management policies and responsiveness. That’s what taxpayers want and have a right to expect. I hope voters will vote to bring positive changes to the Registry by giving me a vote on Thursday, Sept. 6th.

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Response by
Maryann Heuston

 

Short bio:

I have served as Somerville’s Ward 2 Alderman for twelve years. A past Board President, I have worked for seven years as Chair of the Finance Committee, a position from which I manage the Aldermen’s annual review and analysis of the City’s $185 million budget.

For the past three decades, I have also worked full-time as an administrator in the health care industry.  I currently hold the position Director of Operations and Training for the Cambridge Health Alliance. CHA is an integrated health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston’s metro-north communities through a network of hospitals, primary care and specialty practices, and the Cambridge Public Health Dept.  My job at CHA is to develop and oversee systems and processes that increase efficiency, enhance customer service and increase productivity.

I received my Masters Degree from BU and my Bachelors Degree from the University of Massachusetts.

 

What qualifications do you have that makes you the best candidate for this position?

I am the only candidate with a proven track record as an administrator of a large, complex organization. In my work at the Cambridge Health Alliance, I have overseen large budgets and staffs. I’ve been responsible for vital, customer-facing, document management systems that demand the same integrity and reliability required at the Registry.  As a six-term Somerville alderman, I’ve developed expertise in public sector budgeting in tough fiscal times.

 

Why have you decided to run for Register of Deeds?

I’m running because I believe that the Registry plays a modest but critical role in the lives of every home and business owner in Middlesex South. I also believe that my strong skill-set in systems and personnel management is needed to lead Registry staff and to implement the use of new technologies to improve the quality, reliability, and accessibility of Registry services. My knowledge of employing systems designed to protect personal/health records (HIPPA) will greatly impact the technological advancements brought to the Registry through my administration.  The Registry and its customers deserve someone with extensive management experience as well as an understanding of the public sector.

 

What do you feel is the most important duty of the Register of Deeds?

To deliver efficient, accurate customer service.  To do that, and to maintain the integrity of a vital documents system that generates millions in revenues, the Register must have the expertise oversee the training and management of large staff, a background in intergovernmental relations, and experience with complex data systems.  I am the only candidate that has those qualifications.

 

What is the number one issue you would address once elected?

Improve customer service by employing new service protocols, increasing channels of communication with stakeholders and enhancing training for employees. I have spent an enormous amount of my career designing and implementing service protocols thereby reducing wait times in the health care field in doctor’s offices and emergency rooms.  We will explore the utilization of a customer service system modeled on Somerville’s 311 Constituent Services offices. This program provides the ability to gather data and better incorporate feedback and ideas into planning on an ongoing basis. I have created employee training programs that have not only improved customer service but have increased employee satisfaction as well. I will provide a “Service for Excellence” training program, which has delivered proven results by increasing customer satisfaction and providing employees a sense of pride and empowerment in their work.

 

Comment (anything you would like to add)

When you cast your vote for Register of Deeds in Southern Middlesex I ask that you consider what it takes to run an agency as large and complex as the Registry of Deeds, with over 300,000 transactions per year, a budget of $3.1 million, a diverse staff and responsibility for $65 million dollars in revenue to the Commonwealth. Take the time to evaluate the skills needed to maintain and continually improve such an enterprise. I believe that I am the candidate who brings the right skill-set for the job and I ask for your vote on Thursday, September 6th.