Aide to pay $20,000 for missed days

Governor Mitt Romney yesterday ordered Angelo R. Buonopane, the director of the state Department of Labor, to pay $20,000 in restitution to the state for unauthorized time off taken by Buonopane since January 2004, in response to a Globe report Sunday that showed Buonopane worked less than three hours a day.

A top Romney administration official said that no further disciplinary action would be taken against Buonopane, but that his job responsibilities would be ''sharpened." The Globe story found that Buonopane, who earns $108,000, had no obvious duties.

''It's a huge penalty, the largest case of restitution ever made to the state," said Ranch C. Kimball , secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development, who oversees Buonopane.

Kimball called compelling the evidence presented in the Globe story that Buonopane arrived late at his office, took long lunches, and left early. The reporters watched as Buonopane arrived and departed from his office to return to his home in the North End.

However, Kimball added: ''It's not a fireable offense. It's not active malfeasance, not failure to perform duties. There were problems, but we think massive restitution is the right solution."

The Globe also found that Buonopane took 7½ weeks of vacation last year, though the maximum for state employees is five.

Kimball said the amount of restitution Buonopane is being asked to compensate the state for the eight days in February and March on which the Globe reporters observed him working an average of two hours and 51 minutes. The restitution also covers excessive vacation from last year.

In the future, vacation time for Buonopane must be approved by Kimball's office.

''There will be a zero tolerance policy going forward," Kimball said. ''He knows that we will not tolerate not getting a full day's work for a full day's pay."

Romney created the director's position for Buonopane in early 2004, after replacing him at his old job as head of the state Department of Industrial Accidents.

A spokesman for Romney, Eric Fehrnstrom, said Romney appointed Buonopane because he was viewed as working effectively with labor and had received positive recommendations from previous administrations.

Kimball said yesterday that Buonopane's political support for Romney was not a factor in the administration's response to Buonopane's work habits. Buonopane worked vigorously on behalf of Romney's campaign in 2002, donating generously to his campaign fund, and helped arranged an election-eve rally for him in the North End. Since 2002, he has given Romney and Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey $7,000.

''He gets the same treatment as any other senior manager," Kimball said.

Kimball said Buonopane had not been given ''clear guidelines on vacation," and that his vacation allotment was coded unlimited in payroll records. Kimball said he was unaware of any other employees coded as having unlimited vacation time. He said he was not sure who coded Buonopane as unlimited.

Buonopane, 57, said in a brief interview that he will abide by Kimball's decision.

''If I took time off that I was not entitled to, I will reimburse the state every penny," he said. ''I truly and honestly didn't know how much time I had off. There was mixed information on what I was supposed to take and not take. If I made a mistake, I truly didn't know."

Buonopane, in the telephone interview, declined to address any of the Globe's specific findings about his work habits.

Sean Murphy can be reached at smurphy@globe.com.