By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times

The now-infamous cell phone – which allegedly spewed vile sexist and racist text messages – may have set the tone for the administration of disgraced former Coatesville Superintendent Richard W. Como: When it rang, those within earshot heard the theme from “The Godfather.”

Interviews with past and former employees suggest that Como ran his regime as a don might have, surrounding himself with fierce loyalists, many of whom were beholden to him for past favors, if not their jobs.

In Como’s world, associates said, favoritism and football reigned supreme. How else to explain the fact that Athletic Director James Donato, who exchanged the offensive messages with Como and has also exited the district, enjoyed not only a smart phone, but also an iPad and a subscription to Sports Illustrated at taxpayers’ expense, according to district records.

And when Donato went missing at the beginning of the school year without explanation, school officials played dumb when asked where he was, brushing off his failure to appear. One even strenuously disputed the suggestion that his absence would produce any negative repercussions. If that’s the case, here’s an easy way to save the district some money: Don’t replace him.

Como’s propensity for buying loyalty may also shed light on the fact that his son, Matthew Como, 36, was hired as night maintenance supervisor in April 2009 at a salary of  $50,000.  School district officials said Como had nothing to do with either his son’s selection or his supervision, but exasperated Coatesville taxpayers aren’t buying it, and they shouldn’t. After all, whoever was responsible for the son answered to the father.

To be fair, no rule prohibited officials from putting Matt Como on the payroll. The district’s toothless policy warns that “nepotism and cronyism, or the appearance thereof, can degrade staff morale, can arouse public distrust, and is an obstacle to teamwork, effectiveness and quality performance,” but it doesn’t ban it. And in a tight-knit community like Coatesville, it’s going to be difficult to avoid having any relatives who share the district as an employer. But that kinship should never apply to the person at the top of the food chain. So even if Matt Como presented stellar qualifications – which is far from the case – his addition to the staff represented a colossal example of bad judgment.

It’s difficult to know when Matt Como, a 1996 CASH graduate, began his brushes with the law because one infraction occurred out of state. However, county court records date back to June 22, 1999, when West Brandywine Police received a call from the manager of the Downingtown National Bank that a forged $80 check had been made out and paid to Matt Como. When confronted, Matt Como admitted stealing checks sometime earlier; he said he cashed them because “he owed money to some people,” according to the criminal complaint.

In a separate but related case a short time later, Downingtown Borough Police responded to the bank because two more checks from the same account had been  forged, one for $50 and one for $75, a second criminal complaint said. Court records said Como went to East Brandywine Police with his father and promised to turn himself in, but didn’t. Records show that he averted being declared a fugitive because his father hired an attorney, who subsequently arranged his surrender.

On Feb. 7, 2000, Matt Como entered a guilty plea to misdemeanor theft in each case and received a year’s probation for both; he was ordered to pay a $125 fine, $205 in restitution, and court costs, records said.  But he did not make it through his probationary period without being violated, court records said.

On Jan. 12, 2001, Matt Como’s probation officer reported that in addition to failing to appear for five required check-ins, Matt Como used illegal drugs on seven dates between March 3, 2000, to Jan. 10, 2001, an apparent continuation of a problem that resulted in a previous arrest for drug possession in North Carolina, records said.

Court officials point out that the presence of drugs in a defendant’s system is insufficient as a matter of law to support a drug possession charge. Records show that Matt Como’s probation was reinstated for the violations, and he may very well have lived a blemish-free life ever since. One could argue – and some have – that everyone deserves a second chance; of course, in Matt Como’s case, a third or fourth is more appropo. But Matt Como’s criminal past is not the reason he shouldn’t have been hired: It simply exacerbates it.

It’s this kind of shenanigan – an inexcusable appearance of impropriety – that has residents understandably doing a slow boil.  At Tuesday night’s school board meeting, Matt Como’s employment was one of myriad topics that generated a slew of questions – and a few lame responses from the board. District records show that  Matt Como’s 2012 salary was $83,200 a year, compensation that is augmented by an average monthly mileage reimbursement of $300, according to district records.  With travel expenses like that, one wonders if he ever has time to get out of his vehicle.

Hate-filled texts may have initiated the outrage, but they have called attention to a climate of privilege in a disadvantaged district that fuels the rancor and begs numerous questions. While some teachers were forced to buy some of their own school supplies, how many perks were lavished on certain coaches?

Livid residents such as Stephen Bové vowed to continue their quest for accountability. “We’re going to organize this love-in every two weeks,” he told the board, referring to the crowd of about 200. Bové said he would feel better about the board’s actions if any of its members would admit that something went terribly wrong during their tenure.

So far, there’s no indication that anything short of an overhaul through the ballot box will produce any semblance of reform. In one of the most glaring examples of the disconnect between the board and the public, Board Member Laurie Knecht defended the board’s decision to let Richard Como retire. She told WCHE’s Bill Mason earlier this week that it was not necessary to terminate Como because “he had suffered enough” by losing the bulk of his contract and being subjected to public shame.

It’s hard to imagine how she could be more out of touch with her constituency.