More Poor Norfolk County Decision-making

Dear Norfolk County Resident,

RE:         More Poor Norfolk County Decision-making

More Poor Norfolk County Decision-making

Long a hallmark of the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds modernization initiatives and plans, the Registry of Deeds’ Disaster Recovery or DR Office located on the first floor of the County Administration Building in Dedham, MA was permanently closed in early July of 2025. Citing their own need for storage space, the Norfolk County Commissioners, Joseph Shea, Peter Collins and Richard Staiti voted on January 15, 2025 to move the Registry’s DR office, which at times functioned as a satellite office, to an antiquated teachers’ lounge located on the second floor of a building at the Norfolk County Agricultural High School in Walpole, MA. At the time of the vote, assurances were made by Norfolk County Director John J. Cronin and the County Commissioners that the Registry’s current DR site would not be decommissioned until the new site located at the Norfolk County Agricultural High School was ready and operational.  This did not happen.  The land records of Norfolk County residents and Registry operations have been left vulnerable and unprotected as a result.  Ironically on the way to the meeting before any vote had taken place workers were observed stripping the Registry of Deeds signs of the DR location.  Whatever County Director John J. Cronin wants gets rubber stamped.  The closing of the Registry DR office was a done deal before any vote even occurred.

In existence since 2011, the Registry DR office was an offsite location containing all of the computer hardware, software, and technology necessary for a modern-day registry where Registry business could continue uninterrupted in the event of a business continuity interruption.  As a vital component to our local economy, serving as an important revenue stream for state and local governments and community preservation act projects, Registry operations and business must continue. Also, private sector real estate sales and the legal records to your home must be protected at all times.  The Registry of Deeds remained open and operational every day throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic in part because of its Disaster Recovery Office.

At the Norfolk County Commissioners June 25, 2025 meeting County Director John J. Cronin stated the DR office in Walpole was operational.  How can it be operational when it does not have a Certificate of Occupancy from the Town of Walpole?  How can the public needs of the those who depend on the Registry of Deeds be served when the DR office in a former smoking lounge on the second floor of a dated building is not accessible to those with disabilities?

It is outrageous that these decisions get made by Norfolk County government.  It is incompetence that in an era of cybersecurity scams and risks there is NO DR office with a certificate of occupancy because of unsound decisions made by elected and appointed officials of your Norfolk County government.

Registry management visited the new site at the Norfolk County Agricultural High School in June of 2025. The former teachers’ lounge located in an old building was inaccessible as the elevator was not working and appeared to lack signage and other access elements in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The doors to the room as well as a bathroom did not appear to meet basic accessibility standards. I brought the apparent deficiencies to the attention of the County Chief Information Officer, who commented that he would “get back” to me on the issues. As the County CIO did not get back to me on the accessibility issues, I brought the accessibility issues to the County Commissioners and County Director John J. Cronin by letter dated June 18, 2025. To date the County Commissioners have not responded to me about these accessibility concerns.  However, according to the Town of Walpole’s Building Commissioner the former teachers’ lounge lacks a Certificate of Occupancy and the site must be AAB compliant (M.G.L.c.22s.13A the Architectural Access Board issues regulations ensuring public buildings and facilities are accessible to and functional for, and safe for use by persons with disabilities).

Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

William P. O’Donnell

Norfolk County Registry of Deeds 

Do you have an emergency and recovery plan? Get started or update it this National Preparedness Month

Do you have an emergency and recovery plan? Get started or update it this National Preparedness Month By Gema de las Heras With more powerful and frequent natural disasters — even affecting areas where they weren't typical — you might have something like "update or make my emergency plan" on your to do list.  The FTC has information and tools to help you avoid fraud as you prepare and recover from an emergency.  And this National Preparedness Month we're partnering with FEMA to bring you free webinars in English and Spanish with step-by-step guidance to get ready. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/08/do-you-have-emergency-and-recovery-plan-get-started-or-update-it-national-preparedness-month?

Do you have an emergency and recovery plan? Get started or update it this National Preparedness Month

NOAA: "Nation struck by all-time highest number of billion-dollar disasters"

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shared:

"(1 of 5) JUST IN: The all-time highest number of billion dollar disasters on record occurred.

23 confirmed year-to-date B$D events.

More from our #August 2023 #StateofClimate.

Report: https://t.co/DMEkGeGbNf

@NOAANCEI #Climate https://t.co/gwTtx5Czcu

Shared from -> https://x.com/NOAA/status/1701249536578945385

NOAA: "Nation struck by all-time highest number of billion-dollar disasters"

How to make sure your donations count when weather disasters strike

How to make sure your donations count when weather disasters strike

By Colleen Tressler

"Throw a dart at a map of the U.S. and chances are you'll land on a community that suffered severe weather this year. Whether it's landslides on the West Coast, extreme ice storms in the South, spring tornadoes across the Midwest, recent flooding in the Northeast, or the wildfires consuming the Hawaiian island of Maui, communities have experienced devastating losses ― and many are still recovering.  

With any weather disaster, you may consider a charitable donation to help those affected. But how you can avoid charity scams?"

Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/08/how-make-sure-your-donations-count-when-weather-disasters-strike

How to make sure your donations count when weather disasters strike

How to spot and avoid post-disaster scams in the Northeast

How to spot and avoid post-disaster scams in the Northeast By Colleen Tressler As recovery efforts continue in areas of the Northeast hit hard by devastating flooding, scammers aren't far behind. Your tragedy is an opportunity for them, and they'll try to take advantage. If one of the recent storms damaged your home, you might get offers to do things like help you clean up debris or get financial help. The offer might even seem to come from a government official. But how do you know what's real? Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/07/how-spot-and-avoid-post-disaster-scams-northeast

How to spot and avoid post-disaster scams in the Northeast

“I do believe that that authority has been there to deal with disasters”

From the Milford Daily News and CommonWealth Magazine, articles of interest for Franklin:

Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the state’s highest court is poised to decide whether Gov. Charlie Baker’s string of executive orders were a legally appropriate response to contain the highly infectious virus or if he overstepped the authority outlined in law.

An attorney representing business owners and religious leaders who sued the Baker administration argued in court Friday that Baker has “turned the government upside-down” by taking significant individual action, rather than executing laws passed by the Legislature, during the public health crisis.

“At this point, the Legislature is left to approve or disapprove of the governor’s policy choices,” Michael DeGrandis, a lawyer with the New Civil Liberties Alliance, told justices. “That’s not how it’s supposed to work. The governor is merely supposed to execute the policy choices of the Legislature. For the Legislature to make a change, the Legislature would also have to have a veto-proof majority to do so. That is standing the government on its head. That’s not a republican form of government.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200912/plaintiffs-argue-legislature-not-governor-should-set-pandemic-policies?rssfeed=true

"SEVERAL MEMBERS of the Supreme Judicial Court seemed wary on Friday of upending the fight against COVID-19 during a hearing on a case challenging the sweeping powers Gov. Charlie Baker has exercised over the last seven months in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

The justices, meeting via a Zoom call, are being asked to declare the governor’s March 10 emergency declaration and his subsequent slew of executive orders illegal and void. The plaintiffs, a group of business owners and pastors, say the governor’s reliance on the 1950 Civil Defense Act for his authority was improper. They say the governor should have relied on the older Public Health Law that specifically deals with infectious diseases and grants additional powers to local boards of health. If the governor needs more authority to deal with the crisis, the plaintiffs say, he should go to the Legislature and ask for those powers.

There was a lot of legal discussion between the justices and the attorneys representing Baker and the plaintiffs, but the judges at various points seemed genuinely concerned about what would happen on the ground if they sided with the plaintiffs.

“Don’t you have to admit that Gov. Baker has done a pretty darn good job here, especially when you compare him to other states?” asked Justice Elspeth Cypher, who was appointed to the SJC by Baker."

Continue reading the article online
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/sjc-seems-wary-of-upending-covid-19-fight/