Return of the smoke-filled room: how we'll pick the next Middlesex Register of Probate

John Buonomo, the [url=http://www.universalhub.com/node/15893]indicted and disgraced Middlesex County Register of Probate[/url], still managed to win Tuesday's Democratic primary against a slew of lesser-known opponents running sticker and write-in campaigns.

Buonomo has until Monday at 5 pm to decline the nomination, but [url=http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/town_info/yo...'t yet done so[/url], according to the Somerville Journal. I expect Secretary of State Galvin will give him a strong push in that direction, especially since Buonomo has already been forced to resign his office. UPDATE: Buonomo officially withdrew on Friday 9/19, according to reports on Blue Mass. Group

So what happens next? We go back, way back, to the smoke-filled days before primary elections were invented. Every Democratic ward and town committee must meet next Monday or Tuesday to elect delegates to a huge county-wide Democratic caucus. That caucus will occur next Wednesday at 6:30 pm at Waltham High School, and will go through as many ballots as necessary until someone gets a majority vote. With (potentially) over 600 delegates trying to choose among five or more candidates, that could take a while.

To learn more about this process, I recommend [url=http://www.bluemassgroup.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=... Donaghue's post[/url] and [url=http://www.bluemassgroup.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=...'s post[/url] at Blue Mass Group.

I'll be at Somerville Ward 6's caucus on Monday, and will probably run for a delegate slot. If elected, I will be uncommitted to any candidate, as I need to learn a lot more about both the office and the people who want it.