Judge named to Fitchburg court

BOSTON —A Fitchburg District Court judicial nominee and a member of the Parole Board were confirmed to their seats Wednesday by unanimous votes of the Governor’s Council.

Leominster resident Patrick Malone was confirmed to serve as a judge on the Fitchburg District Court, where he had been clerk magistrate until he became acting clerk magistrate of the Westborough District Court last year.

An Army National Guard veteran, Malone has also been a partner at the Leominster law firm Gazourian and Malone, a special prosecutor in the Worcester District Attorney’s Office, and an adjunct professor at Assumption College and Fitchburg State University.

The council approved Charlene Bonner, a forensic psychologist and addictive disorder specialist, for a new term on the Parole Board she has served on since 2011.

Gov. Charlie Baker re-nominated Bonner, whose term had expired in June 2018, last month, after a spate of criticism from the council over the board’s makeup, which some councilors said was too prosecutor-heavy.

Before Wednesday’s vote, Councilor Joseph Ferreira called Bonner an “excellent” nominee, and Councilor Marilyn Devaney read a letter of support by former Parole Board member Lee Gartenberg, director of inmate legal services for the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office.

Gartenberg’s letter said Bonner’s experience and expertise is crucial on the board as it faces an “increased need” to interact with people with mental health concerns.

The council also scheduled a July 24 confirmation hearing for Kimberly Foster, Baker’s nominee to serve as clerk-magistrate in Somerville. The hearing is set to begin at 10 a.m.

A familiar presence was missing from the council’s meeting. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who chairs the meetings, noted the vote on Malone was “the first roll call in which many of us have not heard the voice of” George Cronin, the council’s longtime administrative secretary and a former councilor.

Councilor Terrence Kennedy said Cronin was overcome by an illness over the weekend, and opened the meeting by leading a prayer for his quick recovery.

“He has been an institution in this building for many, many, many, decades,” Kennedy said.

“While all of us don’t always agree about everything, we all agree that he’s a real gentleman.”