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Susan Moran, of Falmouth, among 3 legislators taking new county jobs

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Susan Moran, of Falmouth, among 3 legislators taking new county jobs

Sam Doran
 |  State House News Service

BOSTON — Three Beacon Hill lawmakers easily stuck the landing Tuesday to secure new county jobs.

Rep. Daniel Carey (D-Easthampton) was unopposed as Hampshire County clerk of courts, Sen. Susan Moran (D-Falmouth) had a clear path to the clerk’s job in Barnstable County, and Sen. Walter Timilty III (D-Milton) cruised to victory as Norfolk County clerk of courts.

Carey’s goal in leaving the House, he said, was to prepare the Hampshire County Superior Court for “the second half of the 21st century” following the retirement of 23-year incumbent Clerk Harry Jekanowski Jr.

Moran, when she launched her new campaign, said she aimed to combine her legal experience with a background in mental health and addiction treatment “to better integrate services to the community with the DA and Sheriff and to increase the efficiency and accessibility of the Court, for judges, lawyers and consumers.”

Four years ago, Moran flipped the Plymouth and Barnstable Senate seat blue, as she replaced former Sen. Viriato “Vinny” deMacedo, a Plymouth Republican. She has now flipped the Barnstable court clerk’s office blue, too. Longtime Clerk Scott Nickerson, Republican of West Yarmouth, did not seek reelection after more than 23 years on the job.

Timilty previously told the News Service he sees opportunities to “have a great impact on people’s lives” in the court posting. He will take the place of his father, Clerk Walter Timilty Jr., who was first elected 24 years ago.

Officials in county positions can stick around for years. Sen. Robert Creedon Jr. forwent another term on Beacon Hill in 2008 to run for clerk of courts in Plymouth County, and was elected to his fourth six-year term on Tuesday.

Moran’s departure from the Senate opened the door for the election that pitted Republican Rep. Mathew Muratore against Democrat Rep. Dylan Fernandes, and it appears that Muratore’s loss was the only L for legislative incumbents pursuing new offices this cycle.

Rep. William Driscoll threw the dice in a Democratic primary for Timilty’s Senate seat, prevailed, and was then unopposed in the general election.

Governor’s Councilor Eileen Duff is trading that office for a post as register of deeds in the Essex County Southern District, which comprises 30 towns and cities. Governor’s Council members running for reelection must do so every two years, but in her new job, Duff will have a county-level six-year break between campaigns.

In other races for what’s left of county government in Massachusetts:

Former Rep. Rhonda Nyman, an employee of the Plymouth County sheriff’s office, attempted to stage a comeback to the political scene by running for Plymouth County Commission in a two-seat race where both incumbents were on the ballot. Her campaign spent more than $17,000, but landed more than 12,000 votes behind second-place finisher Commissioner Jared Valanzola. Nyman, of Hanover, succeeded her late husband Rep. Robert Nyman in the House before she was defeated in 2014 by David DeCoste, who still holds the South Shore seat.

First-time candidate Julie Ruggiero, a Somerset Democrat and real estate agent, won a term on the Bristol County Commission, where she will be joined by former Fall River Mayor John Mitchell, a longtime county commissioner who won reelection. Ruggiero raised more than $50,000 as she introduced herself to voters, according to finance data.  She wrote on Facebook that she looks forward to being part of the Bristol County Agricultural High School community and “ensuring we maintain fiscal responsibility within Bristol Aggie, our court houses and registry of deeds.”  Ruggiero is the daughter of Governor’s Councilor Joseph Ferreira.

And in Essex County, it appeared that Boston Bruins anthem singer Todd Angilly failed in his attempt to unseat longtime incumbent Clerk of Courts Thomas Driscoll, the Salem News reported.

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