HAVERHILL — Christopher Maclachlan may have changed his voting address from Derry to Haverhill to satisfy the residency requirement for a judge's post, but he's out of the running for the job, a spokeswoman for the governor said.
"In accordance with his Aug. 20 letter to the governor withdrawing his name from consideration, Mr. Maclachlan is no longer a candidate for the position of Department of Industrial Accidents administrative law judge," said Kimberly Haberlin, spokesperson for Gov. Deval Patrick.
Maclachlan, 55, could not be reached for comment last night.
Maclachlan, a lawyer, was recently nominated by Patrick for the judge's position, which has a six-year term.
Governor's Councilor Mary-Ellen Manning of Salem, who represents northeastern Massachusetts on the eight-member Governor's Council, said last week that Maclachlan told her he has homes in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire and was registered to vote in Derry.
An executive order issued by Mitt Romney when he was governor requires candidates for administrative law judgeships to be Massachusetts residents. Shortly after his conversation with Manning, Maclachlan withdrew his name from consideration for the post, which pays more than $90,000 per year.
But when The Eagle-Tribune spoke to Maclachlan on Thursday, he said he still wanted the appointment and that he had just registered to vote in Haverhill and switched his automobile registration to this city as well.
Assistant Haverhill City Clerk Rick Barber confirmed that Maclachlan was registered to vote at 7 6th Ave. in the Acre neighborhood. According to city assessor records, the house is owned by Mark Connolly of that address. It is a well-kept Victorian home with a garage at the rear of the property.
Maclachlan was previously listed as living at a house at 292 Hampstead Road in Derry.
Maclachlan has served as general counsel for the Massachusetts Industrial Accident Review Board for 15 years and drafts decisions issued by the administrative law judges who sit on that panel, he told The Eagle-Tribune. The Department of Industrial Accidents handles workers' compensation cases.
In Massachusetts, the governor nominates judges, subject to confirmation by the elected Governor's Council. Manning, who practices law in Salem, is known for asking tough questions of judicial nominees and opposing candidates she believes are unqualified.
For example, she voted against former Lawrence Mayor Patricia Dowling when she was nominated for a District Court judgeship. Manning, who unseated Dowling from the Governor's Council in 2002, said the former mayor did not have sufficient legal experience to be a judge.
Two years ago, she opposed the confirmation of former state Sen. Cheryl Jacques as an administrative law judge for the same reason. Both Dowling and Jacques were confirmed.
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