Cape & Islands News

Candidates seek GOP nomination for register of probate

Perrino, Young will square off in Tuesday's Republican primary
Incumbent not seeking reelection; winner will face Eric Turkington

By James Kinsella

Two employees at Barnstable Probate and Family Court are vying for the Republican nomination for register of probate. The job pays $110,000 per year.

The two candidates are both assistant registers Anastasia Welsh Perrino of Dennis and Priscilla J. Young of Pocasset.

The register supervises the Barnstable Probate and Family Court, which addresses matters such as divorces, custody disputes, child support, adoption, estates and wills.

On Tuesday, Sept. 16, voters in the Republican primary will determine whether Perrino or Young will be the nominee.

The winner will face the Democratic candidate, Eric T. Turkington of Falmouth, in the Nov. 4 general election. Turkington decided to pursue the probate position this year rather than seek re-election to the Cape and Islands state representative's seat, a position he's held since 1989. He is running unopposed in the Democratic primary Tuesday.

Incumbent held the job for four decades

The current register of probate, Frederic Claussen, who has held the seat since 1969, is not seeking re-election.

"There was nothing patronage about it. That implies some sort of corruption."
                               - Fred Claussen

The register is charged with the supervision of the Barnstable Probate and Family Court, which addresses matters such as divorces, custody disputes, child support, domestic abuse, adoption, estates, property partition and wills. Besides the register, the court employs a first assistant register, two assistant registers, and 16 clerical workers. The annual budget is about $1.3 million.

Barnstable Probate Court is part of the state trial court system. Per trial court rules, Perrino and Young took unpaid leaves of absence once they filed nomination papers for the position.

Candidates' backgrounds

Perrino, 44, who is married to Thomas Perrino and has two children, was appointed assistant register in 2003. She had a private law practice for 14 years in Orleans and Yarmouthport, working in fields including estate planning and administration, guardianship and elder law.

She received a bachelor's degree from Boston College and a law degree from the Suffolk University Law School. In 2007-08, Perrino was president of the Barnstable County Bar Association.

Young said she would not fill what she calls a patronage position, the job of administrative deputy assistant at the probate court.

Young, 54, who is married to Robert Young, was appointed assistant register in 1994. She has 27 years of experience at the Barnstable probate court, including all aspects of the court's administrative side.

She received an associate's degree from Regents (now Excelsior ) College, and is a certified paralegal. She has been a probate instructor for eight years.

If elected, Perrino states, her priorities would include creating a Barnstable Probate Court Web site, so as to give people access to information and forms rather than having to come into the courthouse; replacing typewriters used to process forms with computers; and devising solutions to meet the space crunch at the court.

If elected, Young states, her priorities would include creating a Barnstable Probate Court Web site at her own expense, which would explain the court's workings and give people access to information and forms; publish a list of the $1.4 million in custodial accounts for unknown heirs and beneficiaries that she said are now held by the Barnstable court, so as to help return money to its rightful owners; and better utilize the expertise of the court staff.

Young said she would not fill what she calls a patronage position, the job of administrative deputy assistant at the probate court.

Claussen said the position was created for probate courts in Massachusetts in 2000 following a compromise between registers of probate and the chief probate judge.

He said the registers wanted to name their own assistants, rather than have them chosen by judges, and were preparing to file legislation to do so.

Under the compromise, each register was allowed to choose one assistant, who serves at his or her pleasure.

"There was nothing patronage about it," Claussen said. "That implies some sort of corruption. It solved the problem."

Young said the arrangement allows a register to bring in a person without any probate experience. "They have the right to bring in whatever person they want," she said.

The candidate said she would not fill the position. Instead, she said she would ask the chief judge to allow her to hire two or three more clerical workers.

Perrino, however, said the trial court simply would shift the funding elsewhere to another court in Massachusetts. Barnstable would be out another position at a time, she said, when a study has shown that the court is only 70 percent staffed for its workload.

If voters were to review the resumes of the two candidates to decide who to hire for the job, Perrino said, they would choose her.

If voters were to review the resumes of the two candidates to decide who to hire for the job, Perrino said, they would choose her. In addition to her management experience at probate court, she said, she has experience in the private sector and has done volunteer work in the community. She said she has experience on both sides of the counter at probate court, both as a practicing attorney and a court official.

Young, who is not an attorney, said she has given procedural guidance to attorneys for 27 years at the probate court. She also said that register's post doesn't have to be filled by an attorney, and eight of the 14 registers of probate in the state are not attorneys.

Young said she has been endorsed by many working and retired probate court employees, who believe she is the better candidate for the job.

Perrino raises the most campaign funds

Perrino so far has raised and spent far more money than Young.
At the end of 2007, according to state campaign finance records, Perrino had a balance of $9,720 in her committee campaign account. Young had a balance of $5,500, with outstanding liabilities of $10,550.

By Aug. 31, Perrino had a closing balance of $30,692. Young's closing balance was $4,079.

Perrino's major expenditures have included $7,000 to Renee Sherwood of Barnstable for her work as campaign coordinator, $5,000 to Rob Cunningham of Bridgewater for his work as campaign manager, $5,255 to Simard Printing of Woburn for signs, and $5,000 to PMI Inc. for media consulting.

Young's major expenditures have included $2,775 to Curley Direct Mail of South Yarmouth for printing and mailing service, and $1,487 to Drummer Boy Screen Printing of New Bedford for signs.

Perrino, asked about her candidacy, said, "I truly love what I'm doing at the court. I've enjoyed public service. I enjoy helping people. I can make a significant difference at the court."

Young, speaking about her candidacy, said, "I've worked at the court for 27 years," Young said Thursday. "I started at the entry level and worked my way up. I understand how that court works, top to bottom, better than anyone else."