The war of words pitting Sheriff Andrea Cabral and DA Dan Conley against Suffolk Criminal Court Clerk Maura Hennigan over the mistaken release of a murder suspect continues. Up this week: Conley and Cabral.

Wicked Local Roslindale reports.

The Sheriff of Suffolk launches her bid for reelection in 2010 tonight with a fundraiser at the Hampshire House.

Possibly of more immediate concern to Cabral is a Massachusetts Appeals Court ruling today that says she has to submit to arbitration when making shift changes among prison guards due to layoffs. The ruling (which Cabral could appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court) stems from her decision in 2002 to re-assign some workers after layoffs. The union objected, saying any such changes had to go to arbitration first.

At-large City Council candidate Felix Arroyo says he's won the endorsement of Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral.

Arroyo said he's also picked up endorsements from the Greater Boston Labor Council, Painters District Council 35 and the Gay and Lesbian Labor Activist Network.

Arroyo, son of the former at-large councilor, is running for one of four open seats in the fall elections.

Complete statement:

MAJOR ENDORSEMENTS KEEP COMING IN FOR FELIX G. ARROYO
Sheriff Andrea Cabral and the Greater Boston Labor Council join a growing list of supporters

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled today that the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department had the right to get out of a ten-year lease seven years early because of a clause in a separate city document that the landlord didn't get canceled in writing - and which was not attached to the lease it did sign.

This is the second time in two years the sheriff's office has managed to get out of a lease because of language in documents not directly tied to leases.

At issue was a lease on office space on Morton Street in Jamaica Plain. In 2000, the sheriff's office signed a ten-year lease for the space, but then canceled the lease three years later when state funding for the program it had housed there ran out.

The landlord sued under a clause in the contract that specified the sheriff would have to continue to pay the lease even if it wanted out. The sheriff's office, however, argued that a city form, which was referenced in an appendix to the lease, but not attached to it, specified the sheriff could get out of the lease with just seven days' notice.

The court noted that the landlord's agent noticed this at the last minute, looked up the city form and told the sheriff's office he could not sign the lease unless that clause were stricken. Whoever negotiated the lease for the sheriff basically told him it was just boilerplate to keep the lawyers happy. The agent signed the lease but attached a letter noting that conversation.

The court, however, ruled, tough, it's not the sheriff's fault the landlord failed to follow through and get the cancellation in writing, as part of the lease, so the sheriff wins.

The complete ruling follows:

Terry Klein reports on an only-in-Boston case involving the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department successfully weaseling out of a 10-year, $7-million lease for some office space.

Seems the lease contained a clause that said it would only go into effect when the city auditor approved the contract. Fair enough, right? Except the auditor, God only knows why, added this to his imprimatur:

APPROVED AS TO AVAILABILITY OF APPROPRIATION OR
PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 12.2 OF THE GENERAL CONDITIONS IN THE AMOUNT OF $0.00.