Southborough Democratic Town Committee

House party for U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern

2010-08-12T17:10:00.006-04:00

You are cordially invited to a house party and fundraiser with
Congressman Jim McGovern
Vice Chairman, House Rules Committee

Home of Dan Frank & Jill Desmarais
32 Overlook Drive
Southborough, MA 01772
508.481.8040

Friday, August 27th
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres

Suggested Contribution:
$25, $50, $100

Contribute online at www.jimmcgovern.com
Checks payable to:
Re-Elect McGovern Committee
PO Box 60405
Worcester, MA 01606

Kindly RSVP to Scott at 508-826-8335 or scottl@jimmcgovern.com

Contributions are not tax deductible. The Re-Elect McGovern Committee
(C00285171) may accept contributions from an individual totaling up to
$2,400 per election. Federal law prohibits contributions to the committee from
corporations, labor organizations and national banks; from any person
contributing another person's funds; from foreign nationals who lack
permanent resident status; and from federal government contractors.
Federal law requires political committees to use their best efforts to obtain
and report the name, address, occupation, and employer for individuals
whose contributions aggregate in excess of $200 in an election cycle.

Paid for by the Re-elect McGovern Committee

Town election candidates night

2010-04-15T00:25:00.004-04:00

The Southborough Democratic Town Committee will host a Meet the Candidates night on Monday, April 26, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fire Station meeting room. All candidates running in the Town Election on May 10th are invited.

Of course, this is for the public, so the public is invited as well!

We're baaack!

2010-04-15T00:12:00.001-04:00

With the Congressional midterms, the Governor's race, and elections for the State Legislature starting to simmer faintly on the back burner, it's time for this blog to get active again.

Caucus to elect delegates to 2009 Massachusetts convention

2009-01-15T11:27:00.005-05:00

The Southborough Democratic Town Committee, chaired by Susan Ruane, will hold a caucus of registered Democrats at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 31, in the Central Fire Station meeting room at 19 Main St., Southborough.

The purpose of this caucus is to elect delegates and alternates to the State Democratic Party convention to be held Saturday, June 6, in Springfield. The business of this convention (PDF), besides the parties on Friday evening, will be to vote on platform amendments and to get training and information about political activism. Of course, there will also be plenty of opportunities to meet and greet old friends and new.

Caucusing and maybe even being elected delegate can be a good way to take the next step into being an even more active participant in self-government. If you come, please leave enough time to be a few minutes early. Only Democratic voters who are checked in or in line at 10:00 a.m. will by rule be able to vote in the delegate elections.

More information is available on Massdems.org here.

Yes, I know the Fire Dept. is actually at 21 Main St., but Google Maps messes that up, and the Police Dept. at 19 Main St. is the same driveway.

Transportation forum - road trip!

2009-01-14T12:00:00.001-05:00

The Northborough Democratic Town Committee is hosting a forum on Transportation in Central Massachusetts. The Southborough Democratic Town Committee will be joining our neighbors there. Anyone who would like to carpool should email the Southborough Dems mailing list.

Lt. Governor Tim Murray will be speaking on the state of the commuter rail and Central Massachusetts. To be held Wednesday, February 4, 2009, from 6:30 to 8:30pm at Romaine's Wood Bar and Grill, 299 West Main Street.

Light refreshments will be served, cash bar available.

State legislators' contact info

2009-01-14T11:53:00.001-05:00

MySouthborough.com has posted contact information for our new State Legislators. In my experience, all three of them really do want to hear from you.

Celebrating Barack Obama's inauguration

2009-01-11T00:38:00.006-05:00

The African-American Caucus of MetroWest & the South Middlesex NAACP

Present a gala celebration of the inauguration of

BARACK OBAMA

44th President of the United States

Tuesday January 20, 2009

7:00 to 11:00 p.m.

Sheraton Hotel, Rte. 9, Framingham

Hors d'oeuvres, cash bar, and entertainment

Tickets $44 in advance, $64 at the door

Ticket information:

Russ Ashton, shawmut21@msn.com, 508.655.4929
Edna Smith, ewsfaith@msn.com, 508.231.0767
Parwez Wahid, pwahid@verizon.net, 508.561.1975

Good times!

2009-01-10T12:56:00.005-05:00

On Wednesday, I had the great pleasure of witnessing the swearing in and first session in the Massachusetts House of Representatives of both Carolyn Dykema (above, with her mother) and Danielle Gregoire. It was a joy-filled day despite sleet and snow, my own stupid forgetting of an umbrella, and a flat tire in the Boston Common parking garage.

Other coverage:

the Holliston Reporter
HopNews has a story, but you'll have to scroll to get it

Update: New photo, provided by Bill Dykema, of Carolyn taking the oath.

Historic November 4, 2008

2008-11-06T18:45:00.002-05:00

I sent this out by email:

Needless to say I am thrilled with the election at every level. Practically everything went our way, and that's a brand new feeling, one I've never had before, a reward to savor after many election nights filled with disappointment and even pain.

I said I'd be hungover on Wednesday, and I was. The odd thing is that it only took two drinks - but they were well-mixed with a huge hit of victorious joy!

We do need to realize that the hard work starts now. We Democrats are in power. We have to deliver, or that won't last.

The local results are up at SouthboroughNews.com. Scroll down a bit (just a little for now) to find them. They are pretty great, too. All of our candidates won.

Between now and 2010, we'll have a few things to work on:

Jamie Eldridge lost Southborough (-269) - all the 'Boroughs, in fact. We need to find opportunities to get him in front of voters now that he has secured his base in the northern part of the district. While home town always matters in legislative races, he's a natural fit for us, and I'm sure he would have done better here if we (I) had worked harder for him.
Carolyn Dykema lost precinct 2 (Trottier), my home precinct and the most Republican precinct in Southborough, by seven votes, though the good people of precinct 3 (Finn) came through with enough of a margin (+90) that Carolyn did take our town. If she meets enough voters in precinct 2, she won't lose again.

I guess Danielle didn't need much help from us! Congratulations to her for a great victory in precinct 1 (Woodward). I'm dying to hear her assessment of how she did it.

Last, Southborough voted 2-to-1 to decriminalize marijuana. I had no idea I lived among so many stoners. Dudes!

Update: Kate Donaghue wrote to correct me on a point of justifiable pride: Westborough in fact supported Jamie, 4269 to 4007.

August meeting

2008-08-14T14:46:00.007-04:00

The SDTC will meet on Wed. August 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the central fire station meeting room. Tentative agenda:

hear Danielle Gregoire, candidate for 4th Middlesex State Representative (including precinct one of Southborough)
consider the committee's endorsement in the 4th Middlesex Primary (Tues. Sept. 16 - mark your calendars)
start planning for Heritage Day
Update (8/18): We'll hear an update from Brendan Jarboe about Jamie Eldridge's campaign.

Members and friends, please attend and bring your friends.

July meeting reminder

2008-07-19T23:24:00.000-04:00

Please make every effort to attend the Southborough Democratic Town Committee meeting Wed. July 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the library.

Guests expected:

Carolyn Dykema, our committee's endorsed candidate for 8th Middlesex State Rep (precincts 2 and 3)
Matt Giancola, running for Steve LeDuc's old seat in the 4th Middlesex (precinct 1)
someone from the State Committee to discuss the income tax ballot initiative

Feel free to bring friends.

National convention delegate selection

2008-03-19T18:25:00.002-04:00

The votes for the Massachusetts Presidential Primary of Feb. 5 are long since counted, but there's a small matter unfinished. That's the translation of those vote totals into actual delegates who will attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Supporters of the two remaining candidates will be caucusing separately on Saturday, April 5, at 1:00 p.m. in these locations for our Congressional district (MA-03):

For Barack Obama: Forest Grove Junior High School, 20 Irving Street, Worcester
For Hillary Clinton: SAC Park: 438 Lake Street, Shrewsbury, MA 01545

Ballot access signature collection

2008-03-08T12:02:00.004-05:00

Susan Ruane and the Dykema campaign have organized the collection of signatures on Carolyn's nominating papers for Sat. March 22 at the Southborough Transfer Station. We also expect to collect signatures for Jamie Eldridge for his run for State Senate. Many hands make light work!

Please consider meeting your commitment to the Democratic Party by participating in this effort.

Time details to follow.

Reorganization meeting set

2008-02-15T09:11:00.005-05:00

We'll elect our new slate of officers for 2008 a little late. March 19th is a little past the official reorganization window. But this is a time we can get the best attendance, and that's important. So, the details:

Wed. March 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the fire station meeting room

Since we acted as a nominating committee when we met before the caucus, this meeting should be brief. However, the new chair may wish to bring a further agenda, for example, to begin the election of new members to fill our remaining twelve slots. (As you may recall, it's a two-step process according to our by-laws.)

I look forward to seeing you there.

After we hold this meeting, the new secretary will need to submit this form to the four (!) offices that require it.

Also, the new treasurer will need to sign and file a form accepting the responsibility of that office. I haven't found that form on line yet.

Update: I have activated the phone tree to spread this message.

We expect to hear from Carolyn Dykema and possibly other candidates at this meeting. Please come, whether you're a member or not.

Update: Jamie Eldridge or his campaign manager, David Kent, will also attend.

John Walsh on winning

2008-02-12T21:58:00.004-05:00

John Walsh, chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, spoke at Tatnuck Bookseller in Westborough. The drive for "economic and social justice" is what unifies Democrats, he said.

Then he turned to winning campaigns from the grassroots, which of course he helped Deval Patrick do. He urged all Democrats to be engaged locally, to show Democratic values year-round. Sit at a table and help people sign up for help with health insurance. Three hundred thousand already have and can now get care before their need is so acute that they have to go to the nearest ER. But there are probably another 300,000 who need the help and haven't signed up for it.

Walsh also urged connecting with our neighbors, friends, and acquaintances. As other channels either saturate (direct mail) or become easy to avoid (TV ads or phone calls), word of mouth changes from the best way to win to the only way.

Two candidates also spoke - Jamie Eldridge, who is running for Pam Resor's Senate seat, and Carolyn Dykema, who is running for State Representative.

The meeting was sponsored by the Westborough Democratic Town Committee, the Middlesex & Worcester Democratic Coalition, and the Middlesex, Norfolk, & Worcester Alliance.

Two other Southborough Democrats attended - Susan Ruane and Jim Shay.

Caucus results

2008-02-09T19:28:00.002-05:00

Today's caucus was very successful. Sixteen voters attended, and we elected the following delegates:

Desiree Aselbekian
Ruth Beck
Bob Ross
Brian Swartz
Sal Giorlandino
Kelly Roney - alternate
Kathleen Bartolini - alternate

We expect Susan Ruane to attend ex officio as committee chair, pending the outcome of the reorganization in March, and we're trying to add Michael Bakshi as an add-on youth delegate.

We also heard from State Committee members Kate Donaghue, James McGowan, and newly elected Sue Kennedy.

Update: Pictures of the DSC members, though I still haven't found James.

Primary results

2008-02-08T19:38:00.001-05:00

Town Clerk Paul Berry has informed me that all previous members of the Southborough Democratic Town Committee were re-elected on Tuesday. Here's the list of members elected for four-year terms:

Desiree Aselbekian
Kathleen Bartolini
Louis Bartolini
Ruth Beck
Paul Berry
Laurie Bourdon
Paul Bourdon
Judy Budz
Jim Denman
Lois Denman
Karen Gadbois
Marianne Geary
Sal Giorlandino
Arthur Miner
Stacey Ober
Lucia Ratner
Kelly Roney
Bob Ross
Susan Ruane
Rhonda Russian
Jim Shay
Bryan Sheehan
Brian Swartz

We'll have our reorganization meeting in March to elect new officers.

4th Middlesex state rep district

2008-02-07T17:18:00.000-05:00

This is Steve Leduc's district:

Click the image for a scalable PDF.

Massachusetts 3rd Congressional District

2008-02-07T17:08:00.000-05:00

While I'm at it, here's Jim McGovern's district, the MA-03:

Click the image for a scalable PDF.

Towns in the 8th Middlesex

2008-02-07T16:58:00.001-05:00

Here's one of our state rep districts:

I had not realized how geographically large Southborough's precinct 1 is.

Click the image for a scalable PDF.

Towns in the Middlesex & Worcester

2008-02-07T16:48:00.001-05:00

Southborough's companion towns in our shared Senate district...

Middlesex & Worcester Senate district

2008-02-07T13:59:00.000-05:00

Pam Resor, our longtime and terrific State Senator, has announced her intention to retire. I'll miss her voice in the legislature, especially on her signature environmental issues.

8th Middlesex race

2008-02-06T11:30:00.000-05:00

Carolyn Dykema's challenge to Paul Loscocco is making news!

Carolyn Dykema in the 8th Middlesex

2008-01-22T11:06:00.000-05:00

This is Carolyn Dykema. As promised, she is running for the state rep seat in the 8th Middlesex, and I had the pleasure of sitting down with her at Red Barn Coffee to talk about her campaign. I think she'll be an excellent candidate - and an excellent representative of Southborough precincts 2 and 3 on Beacon Hill.

Since she lives with her husband and children in Holliston and she grew up in Massachusetts, she's in a good competitive position.

I expect to have her to a meeting of the DTC sometime in March. You'll be impressed.

February caucus scheduled

2008-01-10T10:08:00.001-05:00

The Southborough Democratic caucus for 2008 will select delegates and alternates to attend the Democratic State Convention (pdf) on June 7 in Lowell at Tsongas Arena.

The caucus will be held in the fire station meeting room at 21 Main St., of course in Southborough, starting promptly at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9. Again this year, by rule you must be in line at 2:00 to be admitted as a voter to the caucus. All registered Democrats are welcome to attend.

For Town Committee members: Please arrive at 1:30 for a quick committee meeting to fill open officer positions.

Update: We decided to wait until reorganization in March to fill the open offices.

Democratic challenger in the 8th Middlesex

2007-12-01T23:29:00.000-05:00

I'll have more news soon, but there will more than likely be a Democratic challenger for 2008 in the 8th Middlesex, which is the House district for precincts 2 and 3 of Southborough.

The purpose of strength is peace

2007-11-11T14:05:00.000-05:00

On this day, we traditionally honor the veterans of the United States, who put themselves in harm's way in defense of the Constitution and our hard-won and hard-kept republic. November 11 was originally Armistice Day in remembrance of the War to End All Wars. That reality proved short-lived, but the dream abides in the hearts of many who have seen combat and many who have not.

America is now at war in Iraq in a war of choice, a terrible Republican mistake meekly agreed to by many Democrats. But to the veterans of the Iraq war, I say this: No matter what we may think of the war you fought in and those in government who led it, we honor you for serving.

Signatures in the Town Clerk's office

2007-11-09T14:10:00.000-05:00

I just dropped the ballot access petition of the Democratic Town Committee off with Town Clerk Paul Berry (one of our vice chairs). There were a few people missing - we'll need to add them back after the election by the process defined in our by-laws.

The next step, once the petition is certified next week, will be to drop it at the Bureau of Elections on Ashburton Place in Boston. Right now, I'm on the hook to make the trip to Boston, but if any of you who work in town could do it, you'd save me the trip.

Just getting warmed up

2007-11-07T23:01:00.001-05:00

There will be more here soon...