To the Editor,
Once again, I want to thank the voters of Essex Southern District for choosing me as the Republican nominee for the office of Register of Deeds. I look forward to a healthy debate with my opponent Eileen Duff, so that the voters can decide who is best to serve as Register of Deeds for the next six years.
I wish to provide some specific contrast between me and my opponent. I have had several years of real-life management experience in the retail sector, helping everyday customers, when I managed a UPS Store retail outlet from 2016 to 2020. This involved day to day assistance with customer’s needs, record management and invoicing, notary services, interviewing and hiring employees, and building relationships with people. I served as a Commissioner for the Rockport Housing Authority from 2016 to 2021, and accomplished the following:
Duff’s record on the Governor’s Council has led to questions about her ability to make sound hiring decisions. Here are the facts, according to specific sources:
Duff moderated a Mayoral Debate while concealing support for one of the mayoral candidates: In 2013, Eileen Duff was chosen as a moderator for a mayor debate in Gloucester. When her support of one of the mayoral candidates was discovered through Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance reporting, she brushed it aside saying, “donations back and forth between elected officials are common. I support a lot of candidates and mayors in my district, and they support me, as well,” Duff said, “There’s a little bit of a joke that the same $50 gets passed around all the time, so why do we do it? But it's just something that we do when we’re an elected official.” You heard right – Eileen Duff thinks election integrity is a joke! (Gloucester Times “Kirk tops Bell in race fundraising war chest”, Oct 30, 2013, by Marjorie Nesin).
As a Governor’s Councilor – Duff pushed an anti-religious agenda, asked offensive and illegal questions about a job applicant’s religious beliefs. In questioning judicial applicant James Gavin Reardon Jr., in a Governor’s Council hearing, Duff repeatedly asked, “Are you Roman Catholic?” When Mr. Reardon refused to answer about his personal religious beliefs, Duff repeatedly made an issue of religion stating, during the public interview, that she “had seen religious beliefs “interfere” with judgements on the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Instead of apologizing for her offensive questions she doubled down and defended her religious litmus test! (Gloucester Times “Rival takes aim at Duff’s religious line of questioning” by Andy Metzger, Oct, 11, 2016.)
As a Governor’s Councilor – Duff pushed an unqualified political supporter for a judgeship! Although the state’s Joint Bar Committee, a 24-member panel affiliated with the Massachusetts Bar Association, did not find Gloucester attorney Ed O’Reilly qualified for a judgeship, Duff persisted in pushing for his appointment, and questioned the vetting process that the Governor relies on to make the best nominations to the Governor’s Council (Gloucester Times “Bar group blocks chance at judgeship” by Ray Lamont, Nov 14th, 2017). As it turns out, Ed O’Reilly, who had to withdraw his application amidst personal and legal scandals (Gloucester Times, “O’Reilly withdrawn name,” by Julie Manganis, Nov 29th, 2017) was one of Duff’s top political donors over the years, at least to the tune of $750 in 2016 according to OCPF reports. He contributed another $100 in 2018, after his failed application!
The Register of Deeds is charged with hiring the best people to run the Registry, so that you can be assured that your deed is secure. We can’t allow the Registry to become a place for political payback of friends or a place for building someone’s political career.
To learn more about my campaign please visit www.jonathanring.org. Please vote for Jonathan Ring for Register of Deeds on November 5th, or during Early voting, which begins October 19th.
Thank you.
Jonathan E. Ring, Rockport
