Banker & Tradesman endorses independent candidate John A. Keith in the four-way race for Suffolk County Register of Deeds.
A seasoned Boston real estate agent, Keith has a general familiarity with how the Registry operates and seems genuinely eager to learn what he doesn’t know. Registers say that experience as an attorney is helpful, but not a requirement, to be able to do the job. More important, they say, is on-the-job learning from experienced staff.
In the current environment of extreme political polarization, a political newcomer with no party affiliation, allegiances or grudges is a refreshing change.
Keith is an active user of social media, tweeting his observations about real estate and the city with light, offbeat humor – under which lies a deep understanding of the market and the various forces that shape it.
Throughout his campaign Keith has made clear he has both the ability and the desire to do the job, which comes with an annual salary of $124,000, and comes across as the most earnest and forthcoming of what is clearly a strong field of candidates.
His priorities include improving the Suffolk County Registry website, which hasn’t been updated since 1999. Examples abound in other counties of more user-friendly, intuitive registry websites; as the seat of the state capital, Keith believes Suffolk County should be setting an example.
He has an ambitious vision of how the state’s 21 registries ought to work. Currently 13 registers report to the secretary of state; the remaining eight are independent. Keith thinks a more efficient and cost effective structure would look more like the Registry of Motor Vehicles, where individual branches are run locally and all answer to the single registrar.
Keith understands the limits of the position and what can realistically be achieved in the long- and short-term. He has reached out to other registers, including Suffolk County’s temporary register, Thomas M. Ryan, and shows a genuine willingness to learn from and with the registry staff and other colleagues.
Keith has said he is not interested in becoming a career politician. While he has run for elected office before, he has committed to a limit of two six-year terms if elected register.
He was an accountant and managed a staff for 10 years before changing careers to sell real estate about 14 years ago. Keith said if elected, being Suffolk County register of deeds would be his only job.
Banker & Tradesman endorses Keith, but as always encourages our readers to educate themselves on the candidates and their platforms, and draw their own conclusions. Jim Morrison’s in-depth interviews with each candidate appeared in the Sept. 19 issue of Banker & Tradesman; click here to read it.
And West Roxbury and Roslindale have teamed up to hold a community forum for all four candidates on Wednesday, Oct. 26 (exact time to be announced) at the district E-5 police station, 1708 Centre St., West Roxbury.
