He is the director of the Department of Labor. The state pays him $108,000 a year. But what does Angelo Buonopane do?

It's late morning on a brisk day in downtown Boston, and Angelo R. Buonopane, the state's director of the Department of Labor, steps out of his office building. He looks right, he looks left, in front of him, and behind him.

Then Buonopane starts strolling up Washington Street, returning to work 40 minutes later with a shopping bag from one of his favorite haunts, Filene's Basement.

An hour later, Buonopane emerges from his office again, and this time heads for a two- hour, 12-minute lunch at his North End home. Buonopane returns to the office, for 37 minutes, then heads home again. Total time worked: three hours, 14 minutes.

It was another short day for Buonopane, the highly paid, highly connected appointee of Governor Mitt Romney. Buonopane's work days average two hours and 51 minutes, according to Globe reporters who observed him over a series of days during February and March. On many days he does not come in at all.

Romney appointed Buonopane to the newly created job after Buonopane campaigned vigorously for him in 2002, donating generously to his campaign and helping to orchestrate an election-eve rally for Romney in the North End featuring former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.

But the $108,000-a-year post has no obvious duties. Buonopane seldom comes to work for more than a few hours, and takes frequent vacations -- seven-and-a-half weeks last year, and three-and-a-half weeks in the first three months of this year.

Last week, a spokesman for Secretary of Economic Development Ranch C. Kimball, to whom Buonopane reports, could not provide a description of Buonopane's duties.

In an interview this week, Buonopane defended his work habits.

''Everything is on the up and up, and everything is accounted for," he said. ''Any hour I get paid for, I worked for it. I don't steal from the state. Ask the governor if I'm doing my job."

Told that he had been repeatedly observed working days of only about three hours, Buonopane said that was ''impossible."

However, Globe reporters, on 19 days during February and March, tracked Buonopane's comings and goings. On eight of those days, the reporters were able to record, down to the minute, each time he arrived at his Washington Street office, and each time he left. On the other days, reporters were able to observe him for part of the day.

The average hours worked for the eight fully documented days was two hours and 51 minutes. The longest he worked was four hours and five minutes. Lunches were especially long: always at least two hours and sometimes more than three. On two of the eight days, Buonopane left at lunchtime and did not return.

Confronted about the short days, Buonopane acknowledged he is frequently out of the office, but said he is available by telephone. He said he often goes home at lunch to tend to his wife, who he said is sick.

He also said he docks himself when he takes time off. But that assertion was not supported by Buonopane's payroll records, which were reviewed by the Globe. During the eight days, Globe reporters observed Buonopane taking off approximately 40 hours. He docked himself for only four, the records show.

In addition, attendance records show during the first three months of this year Buonopane took 18 vacation days, six sick days, and three personal days. Buonopane spent one week in January and one in February at his condominium in Boca Raton, Fla. Upon his return from the February vacation, Buonopane took two sick days, Feb. 22 and Feb. 23.

Last Wednesday, Buonopane was observed arriving home in the North End at 3:38 p.m. Minutes later, in reply to a call from a Globe reporter, Buonopane's secretary said Buonopane was out of the office at a meeting. About 15 minutes later, Buonopane called the reporter from his home, saying he had gone home sick.

Buonopane took significant time off last year, too. Last summer, he took off every Friday between June 17 and Sept. 16 -- a 15-week period. He also took off five Thursdays in that period. In addition, he took off weeks in February, May, and November, plus scattered other days.

Late Friday, two days after the Globe began making inquiries about Buonopane's short workdays, a Romney spokesman said the administration would look into the matter. Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said the governor would order an investigation of Buonopane's work habits, including whether he has taken excessive vacation time.

''If someone is misrepresenting their working hours on their time sheet, that is cause for disciplinary action," Fehrnstrom said. ''Taxpayers have the right to expect from state employees a day's work for a day's pay."

The circumstances of Buonopane's appointment were unusual. When Romney won the governor's race in 2002, Buonopane was serving as director of the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development, a job then-Governor William F. Weld appointed him to in 1996.

In January 2003, Romney replaced Buonopane with employment specialist Jane C. Edmonds, and made Buonopane head of the state Department of Industrial Accidents, a sub-agency reporting to Edmonds.

Then, Romney named a top volunteer from his campaign, Brookline lawyer John Chapman, to serve as Buonopane's deputy. Installed as general counsel was Gregory White, an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Worcester district attorney. In early 2004, Romney replaced Buonopane with Chapman, leaving Buonopane with no responsibilities.

But Romney was able to keep Buonopane on the state payroll through the creation of a new job: the state's first-ever director of labor.

Buonopane said Romney ''called me to his office and appointed me labor director. He was very satisfied with what he saw and heard about me."

Fehrnstrom said Romney made the appointment because Buonopane received ''a very positive recommendation from the previous administration, and because he was effective working with labor."

Buonopane, 57, a former business agent for a cement workers union, also previously served as director of labor relations on the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel project.

He and his wife have been generous contributors to political campaigns, donating $14,900 to candidates for state office since 2002, including $7,000 to Romney and Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, and $1,000 to former acting governor Jane Swift. The Buonopanes have also donated $5,950 to candidates for federal office, including $1,000 to Giuliani and $2,000 to President Bush.

Buonopane has also given to Democrats. In recent years, he has given $850 to House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, $650 to Senate President Robert E. Travaglini, $600 to Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, and $500 to former House speaker Thomas M. Finneran.

Buonopane has strong allies among powerful state politicians, but his personal history has not been without controversy. At the age of 18, he began serving 30 months at the state prison in Walpole for holding up three Brookline pharmacies at gunpoint. He later said he was addicted to drugs as a youth.

Weld, when he appointed him, called Buonopane ''a new man" and saluted his wealth of experience. Governor Paul Cellucci, who succeeded Weld, was a strong supporter of Buonopane and retained him in the role. At one point, Cellucci's successor, Swift, tried to get rid of Buonopane, but Cellucci intervened, and persuaded Swift to let him stay.

Globe correspondents Amanda Pinto and Heather Allen contributed to this story. Sean Murphy can be reached at smurphy@globe.com.