Pages
Stay In Touch
More
© 2021 The Somerville Times. All rights reserved.
Desmond sets his sights on clerk of courts job
By George P. Hassett
An alderman-at-large who once lost an election by one vote has declared his candidacy for the Middlesex County clerk of courts position.
Bruce Desmond, who lost to Alderman-at-Large William A. White by one vote in 1999 but came back in 2001 to win a spot on the board, said he is looking forward to the county-wide race and the job he could win.
“It’s a huge undertaking, but I’m excited,” he said. “The job combines my two strengths – politics and management of facilities. The clerk is the main record keeper of the court, last year the Middlesex County courts handled 80,000 cases. I think I have a great background, as a Director of Voice and Data operations, to handle that load.”
The seat Desmond is after is an open one, vacated by Edward J. Sullivan, who held it for the past 48 years. Sullivan’s nephew, Michael Sullivan, the former mayor of Cambridge, has also declared for the seat.
Sullivan comes from a long line of politicians in his family, but so does Desmond, who moved to Somerville from his hometown of Lowell after he got married.
“Connie Desmond was a state rep. from Lowell and when he left the seat my father took it over. A Desmond held that seat for over 50 years. We’ve been around a long time in Lowell, even though we haven’t been on the ballot lately,” he said.
Desmond himself ran for state rep. in Lowell when he was just 22 years old in 1976, losing by 135 votes.
“Not too bad for some punk kid, right out of college,” he said.
Desmond said his roots in Lowell will help in his current political quest.
“Lowell is a very powerful city in Middlesex County. I have always said, Somerville, Cambridge and Lowell control the county wide seats,” he said.
Desmond said his opponent, who would likely inherit his uncle’s county-wide organization, probably did not want anyone from Lowell to run.
“It’s an open seat though, nobody is entitled to it,” he said.
Desmond said another factor that could help him land the job is the Diaspora of Somerville residents over the last 15 years.
“There are so many families who have moved out of the city. Places like Stoneham and Billerica are full of people from Somerville,” he said. “Every year I would think to myself, we’re losing another family, more supporters. But they’ve stayed in the county and now they can support me again.”
Desmond, of course, said he still has supporters inside the city limits. He said nine of the 11 aldermen have pledged their support, with Denise Provost staying neutral in the race and Rebekkah Gewirtz not yet committing.
Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has also endorsed Desmond’s candidacy.
“As a practicing attorney, I understand the needs of the courts,” said Curtatone. “Bruce has the right kind of experience in government and the private sector to manage and make the necessary decisions in the courts of Middlesex County.”
Desmond said his biggest weaknesses is raising money, which he will need a lot of for a county wide race.
“I’m estimating the campaign will cost between $200,000 and $300,000, but I have always been uncomfortable asking people for money,” he said.
Desmond said the race may be overlooked by some, but it’s important to him.
“This isn’t a sexy race. A lot of people don’t even know what a clerk of courts does and a lot of people don’t care. The voters will be there for governor, Lt. governor, and district attorney,” he said. “You may see a lot of blank ballots. But I’m thrilled about this opportunity and I’m going to go for it hard.”
If you found this article of interest, please consider sharing it.
Reader Comments