Lou

Trask, Bennett, Lopes Win Election

 Every candidate on our Slate of Candidates was elected and every DanversDem running for Town Meeting Member won their race. The voters have responded to our message of fairness, inclusivity and experience in town government.

Gardner Trask and Dan Bennett were victorious in the field of seven Select Board candidates.  Gardner topped the ticket with 1,561 votes, earning the top spot in every single precinct.  He will ably succeed our own DanversDem David Mills who has served the town with dignity, competence and honor for many years.  Dan Bennett secured the second spot with 1,378 votes also ranking second in every precinct.  Kevin Berich was third with 1,092 votes and Sandy Franeschini fourth with 892 votes.

Gabe Lopes won decisively defeating Maxwell Rudin for School Committee by a wide margin; 2,074 to 740 votes.

Congratulations to DanversDem Julie Curtis, who was the top vote getter for Library Trustee with 1,956 votes.  Julie was elected alongside Noah Levitt and Kevin Lee.

Michael Swindell was re-elected unopposed for Housing Authority.

DanversDems will be well represented in the next Town Meeting with all six of our candidates elected.  We are especially excited for our four first time Town Meeting Members!

Precinct 1:  Lou George (re-elected) & Jillian Durand (first time member)
Precinct 2: Phil Bolduc (first time member)
Precinct 3: Charlotte Jordan (first time member)
Precinct 5: Liz Brennan (first time member)
Precinct 8: Lou Bernazzani – re-elected

We are deeply grateful to all the candidates who stepped up to run and for your commitment to serve our town.  A special thank you to all the DanversDems who worked so hard in this election.

Trask, Bennett, Lopes Win Election Read More »

📢Call to Action! Route One Stand-out – May 18 (Sunday)

An event is being put together for a stand-out along route one from Topsfield to Newburyport. The goal is to get enough people on both sides along the road to create a chain of solidarity of people fighting for our freedoms.

This is a great opportunity for our neighboring communities to come together for this fight. Although we are separated by zip codes, we are all fighting the same fight and need to come together – power in numbers. I also remind people that courage is contagious and we are seeing that in the weekly protests in our cities and towns where a growing number of powerful people are out there telling others that the actions of this current administration are not okay.

The Route One Stand-out is now officially on Mobilize to sign-up: https://www.mobilize.us/massdems/event/782099/

Here is the tentative list of locations where they want to position the protesters: My understanding that these are safe locations near parking.

  • Topsfield
    • Maple Street
    • Central Street
    • Route 97
    • Dover Hill Road
    • DPW
    • Haverhill Street
    • Putnam Veterinarian
    • Pediatric Associates
    • Camp Meeting Road/ North Street
    • Topsfield Veterinarian
    • 448 Boston Road
    • Wildes Road
    • Golf course
  • Ipswich
    • East Street/ West Street
    • Old Right Road
    • Micro and Hickory
    • Alderson Driver
    • Cape Ann Cannabis sign
    • Linebrook Road?
    • Majestic Dragon
    • 85 Turnpike Road
  • Rowley
    • Dog Stop
    • Land between Olde Towne IceCream and Brookline Bank
    • Route 133
    • Empty building across from Market Basket
    • Blue Boat
    • Maintenance Facility
    • Peabody Essex Museum
    • Ox Pasture
    • Bio Lab
    • Ipswich Bay Glass
    • Wethersfield Street
    • Central Street/ Glen Street
  • Newbury – Newburyport
    • Dirt turn off/ turn around at town line by marsh
    • Governors
    • Lab on north side
    • Parker River Bridge- Road to conservation just before
    • Possibly marsh and hay fields by Large Farm – will check if we can park there
    • Boston Road
    • Water Dog Grooming
    • Middle Road/ Hanover Street
    • Rotary in Newburyport

Hope to see you there.

📢Call to Action! Route One Stand-out – May 18 (Sunday) Read More »

Meeting – May 22

Next meeting will be on Thursday, May 22 at 7:00 PM at the Danvers Library.

The meeting room has been changed to the Classroom Conference Room. This conference can be accessed by entering through the same door as for the Gordon Room and going through the children’s room or from the main entrance and taking the elevator downstairs.

The meeting will be hybrid. Please use the Contact Us page to request the Zoom Link.

There will be a hard stop of the meeting @ 8:45 in fairness to the library staff.  I apologize in advance if I cut you off mid-discussion.

Maria and I will be at the library at 6:30 if anyone wants to come by early and chat before the meeting. There will be light refreshments.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Meeting – May 22 Read More »

LGBTQ+ event held in Danvers on May 1

An event to support the town’s LGBTQ+ community was held Thursday night following two Select Board members’ abstention from approving a banner advertising the town’s Pride event next month.

Titled “Pride Not Prejudice,” the event was. at Twisted Fate Brewing on Andover Street and featured work from local artists.

The event supported the Danvers Human Rights and Inclusion Committee that went before the Select Board on April 15 for a routine request to hang a banner on High Street.

The banner will feature information about the town’s annual Pride Flag raising at Town Hall and celebration on the lawn of the Peabody Institute Library of Danvers, and will be entirely paid for by the HRIC.

While the Select Board has a history of unanimously approving banners for events with little debate; this one was approved by a slim margin. Members Dan Bennett, Dutrochet “Dee” Djoko and David Mills voted in favor, while Michael Bean and Maureen Bernard abstained.

Bernard did not respond to requests for comment on her abstention, but Bean said during the meeting that he wasn’t comfortable “letting town property be engaged in certain issues.”

The abstentions drew immediate outcry from Mills, an 83-year-old gay man who was closeted for much of his life. After Bean said he wasn’t trying to attack the LGBTQ+ community, Mills insisted the abstentions hurt him regardless.

The abstentions also drew criticism from other LGBTQ+ residents in Danvers who took issue with an LGBTQ+ event being referred to as political when, they said, it is a matter of human rights

State rep Sally Kerans co-sponsored Thursday’s event with the youth subcommittee of Gardner Trask’s Select Board campaign.

“Back when I was on the HRIC, we worked very hard to create a climate of respect for everyone in our community,” Kerans said. “This seemed like a friendly way of underscoring that Danvers is a welcoming place for all of our neighbors, including our LGBTQ family, friends and neighbors.”

Trask said a member of his campaign’s youth subcommittee came up with the idea for the event following the April 15 Select Board meeting.

“This is not the message that our Select Board should be sending to our residents,” said Trask, a former longtime board member.

He said he hopes Thursday’s event shows Danvers’ LGBTQ+ community that the town is a welcoming and safe place for all residents, regardless of their background or identity.

Caroline Enos. Salem News

LGBTQ+ event held in Danvers on May 1 Read More »

DanversDems Slate of Candidates in May 6 Election

We have never endorsed candidates in local elections, which are non-partisan, as you know. However, this year is different. The stakes are higher. The prospect of a majority of Select Board members who appear eager to bring the Trump agenda to our town is both worrisome and all too real. Five Republican candidates are running for Select Board and another for School Committee.

We hope you will join us in voting for Gardner Trask and Dan Bennett for Select Board and Gabe Lopes for School Committee on May 6.  

These individuals are proven community leaders who reflect our Democratic values: fairness, inclusion, responsible government, and a deep affection for and commitment to Danvers.  They are experienced, thoughtful leaders, who have shown that they can listen, collaborate and lead effectively.

In a local election, every single vote matters.  We urge you to make a plan to vote on Tuesday May 6 for Gardner Trask, Dan Bennett, Gabe Lopes and our full slate of candidates who will serve Danvers with integrity and vision.

Election Day is this Tuesday, May 6 

Select Board (2 positions open)

  • Gardner Trask
  • Dan Bennett

School Committee (1 position open)

  • Gabe Lopes

Library Trustee (3 positions open)

  • Julie Curtis
  • Noah Leavitt
  • Kenneth Lee

Housing Authority (1 position open)

  • Mike Swindell

Thank you for being an engaged member of our community.

DanversDems Slate of Candidates in May 6 Election Read More »

17 Delegates Representing Danvers at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention

The Democrat caucus elected delegates to the MassDems convention on Thursday, April 24 at the Danvers Library.

Danvers elected 13 delegates of the allotted 14 delegates to Danvers; gender balanced. In addition, there are 4 ex-officio delegates bring the total delegation to 17 delegates. This is the largest delegation in recent years.

Delegates are as follows:

  • Liz Bernazzani
  • Lou Bernazzani
  • Phil Bolduc
  • Liz Brennan
  • Beth Burridge
  • State Committee Julie Curtis
  • Jillian Durand
  • Christine Farrar
  • Lisa Gallant
  • Lou George
  • Ellen Graham
  • State Committee Marilyn Hazel
  • State Rep Sally Kerans
  • Vincent Malgeri
  • Patricia Maloney
  • Tom Meagher
  • Isiah Young

17 Delegates Representing Danvers at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention Read More »

MayDay March – Lynn – May 1

For Worker’s rights – for immigrants rights – to save democracy

May 1 @ 5:30 PM on Lynn Common Bandstand

March with members of the New Lynn Coalition AFL CIO and many other Labor organizations to support each other and those who are too fearful to attend.

From Jeff Crosby Labor Organizer ” The May Day event this year will focus on Defending Democracy, and as always, Workers Rights and Immigrant Rights.  We have focused on these general themes since immigrant workers rejuvenated May Day in Lynn in 2006.  Specifically, this year we will also support GE workers in their contract negotiations with General Electric, and fighting Mass Deportations and for Affordable Housing for All.  We will meet on the Lynn Commons and march to the GE plant, where we will be joined by GE workers from other states and, visa permitting, from Italy.”

Please share with your Democratic committees and friends and please attend. We want a huge turn out to show our North WShore Labor Coalition that Democrats across the North Shore Support Labor and Immigrants

MayDay March – Lynn – May 1 Read More »

Salem to hold anti-Trump rally on 250th anniversary of Revolution

On Saturday, April 19 starting at noon at Riley Plaza in Salem, protesters will also be present for a day of speakers and standouts to “usher this new revolution deposing the MAGA insurrection,” according to organizers from “Meeting of the Minds Salem,” a podcast hosted by Salem resident Jerry Bowyer. Attendees are encouraged to bring signs.

This follows a “Hands Off” rally that saw several hundred protesters fill Riley Plaza on April 5, amid a wave of protests that Saturday across the country to decry the Trump administration and DOGE’s actions on numerous issues. 

For more on the Salem demonstration, which will take place at Riley Plaza at noon, visit events.pol-rev.com/events/88aa3936-c4d0-4ce0-97d9-0606c6600dba.

Salem to hold anti-Trump rally on 250th anniversary of Revolution Read More »

Marblehead to hold anti-Trump rally on 250th anniversary of Revolution

On Saturday, April 19, protesters will pick up where they left off on April 5 with demonstrations opposing the Trump administration’s actions nationally, including locally in Salem and Marblehead.

The No More Kings rally for democracy in Marblehead, organized by The League of Women Voters of Marblehead, will involve a peaceful assembly to “stand against the rise of authoritarianism in our country,” while simultaneously celebrating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

The Marblehead assembly will start at the Marblehead Old Town House at 1 p.m., where the Longfellow poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” will be read from the steps. The group will then walk to Abbot Hall at 188 Washington St. and assemble near the flagpole to hear a reading of the Declaration of Independence.

The program is expected to last about one hour. Families are welcome, and attendees are encouraged to bring signs. The event is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Marblehead and the Marblehead Alliance for Democracy.

For more information on Saturday’s Marblehead demonstration, which will start at Marblehead Old Town House on Washington Street at 1 p.m., email lwvmarblehead@gmail.com.

Marblehead to hold anti-Trump rally on 250th anniversary of Revolution Read More »