(from the city of Somerville) The Somerville Retirement Board met today in special session to discuss the decision of Associate Justice James H. McGuiness to reverse the Board's action taken on January 22, 2010 to revoke the public pension retirement allowance of former Middlesex County Register of Probate, John Buonomo, pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 32, Section 15(3) (theft of governmental funds) and 15(4) (violation of the laws applicable to his office).

The Somerville Retirement Board voted unanimously to appeal Justice McGuiness's action and will seek all available legal avenues to overturn this decision.

The Somerville Retirement Board believes that it was required by operation of law to revoke Mr. Buonomo's public pension.

Mr. Buonomo's public pension results from service in the City of Somerville, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Middlesex County. Mr. Buonomo's retirement allowance consists of the pension ($29,544.96), annuity savings ($5,951.88), and Cost of Living Adjustments ($3,240.00). The total benefit is $38,736.84. The cost of the pension portion of the Retirement Allowance is shared by the State Retirement Board, ($11,936.21), the Middlesex Regional Retirement Board, ($6,972.66), and the Retirement System of the City of Somerville ($10,636.09). The Somerville Retirement Board is the administering entity.

The Somerville Retirement Board has invited both the State Retirement Board and the Middlesex Retirement Board to participate in this enforcement action.