Lou

On Friday, June 3rd and Saturday, June 4th, delegates gathered virtually and at the DCU Center in Worcester to endorse candidates for statewide office, including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary, Attorney General, Treasurer, and Auditor, ahead of the Democratic Primary this September. 

About 40% of the delegates participated virtually. The convention was streamed online and all voting was done online. Those unable to vote online could do so by phone and by paper at the convention.

Candidates required 15% of the vote on the 1st ballot to be placed on the primary ballot on September 6. Candidates required greater than 50% of the vote to be endorsed by the MassDems Convention.

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Maura Healey was endorsed by the convention for Governor receiving the largest vote total at the convention. Maura received 71.2% of the vote. Sonia Chang-Diaz received 28.8% of the vote and will be on the primary ballot.

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Kim Driscoll led all candidates running for Lt. Governor receiving 41.4% of the vote. Adam Hines and Bret Bero did not receive 15% of the vote and thus will not be on the primary ballot. The three candidates receiving greater than 15% but less than 50% agreed to not have a 2nd ballot and thus Kim Driscoll was endorsed by the convention. Tami Gouveia and Eric Lesser received 23% and 21.2% respectively and thus will be on the primary ballot.

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Quentin Palfrey was endorsed by the convention for Attorney General receiving 38.8% of the vote on the first ballot and 54% on the second ballot. Andrea Campbell received 39.2% of the vote on the first ballot and 46% on the 2nd ballot and will be on the primary ballot. Shannon Liss-Riordan received 21.9% of the vote and will be in the primary ballot.

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Tanisha Sullivan was endorsed by the convention for Secretary of State receiving 62.4% of the vote. Bill Galvin will be on the primary ballot receiving 37.5% of the vote.

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Chris Dempsey was endorsed by the convention for Auditor receiving 52.6% of the vote. Diana DiZoglio will be on the ballot receiving 47.3 % of the vote.

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Deb Goldberg was endorsed for Treasurer by the convention by acclimation as she has no primary opponent.

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Governor

1. Maura Healey – 2,858 votes – 71.2% – endorsed
2. Sonia Chang-Diaz – 1,115 votes – 28.8% – on ballot

Lt. Governor

1. Kim Driscoll – 1,641 votes – 41.4% – endorsed
2. Tami Gouveia – 911 votes – 23% – on ballot
3. Eric Lesser – 839 votes – 21.2% – on ballot
4. Adams Hinds – 493 votes – 12.4% – not on ballot
5. Bret Bero – 81 votes – 2% – not on ballot

Attorney General

1. Quentin Palfrey – #1: 1,605 votes – 38.8%. #2: 1,920 votes – 54% – endorsed
2. Andrea Campbell – #1: 1,622 votes – 39.2%. #2: 1,631 votes – 46% – on ballot
3. Shannon Liss-Riordan #1: 906 votes – 21.9% – on ballot

Secretary of State

1. Tanisha Sullivan – 2,578 votes – 62.4% – endorsed
2. Bill Galvin – 1,553 votes – 37.5% – on ballot

Auditor

1. Chris Dempsey – 2,148 votes – 52.6% – endorsed
2. Diana DiZoglio – 1,931 votes – 47.3 – on ballot

The committee elected 10 delegates to represent Danvers at the State Convention. They are:

• Lou Bernazzani
• Joe Caiazzo
• Nicole Caiazzo
• Beatrice Clark
• Gerald Clark
• Kasey Desmond
• Beth Kontos
• Vince Malgeri
• Carla Meagher
• Tom Meagher

State Committee Members Marilyn Hazel, Julie Curtis and Rani Jacobsen will attend the convention plus Sally Kerans, State Rep for 13th Essex District and Joan Lovely, State Senator from 2nd Essex District

Massachusetts Republicans overwhelming endorsed a Trump-backed conservative for governor at the Massachusetts GOP convention in Springfield on Saturday. Speakers leaned heavily into national themes and culture war debates, railing against abortion, characterizing Democrats as “evil” and issuing vague yet vulgar warnings about the state of education.

Geoff Diehl, a former Whitman state lawmaker who’s trumpeted Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, received 71% of the 1,194 votes cast by party delegates winning the party’s endorsement for governor. Diehl far outpaced Chris Doughty, a Wrentham business owner who cleared the 15% threshold to appear on the Sept. 6 ballot.

Diehl pitched himself as the progressive Democrats “worst nightmare” promising to hire back state workers fired by the Baker administration because they refused to be vaccinated and to dispatch the National Guard to the southern border “to stop the lawlessness”. Diehl and other statewide Republican candidates promised to be bulwarks against what he called the threat of critical race theory.

Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito did not attended the convention. The overwhelming support for Diehl marks a drastic departure for a party that since 2010 had turned to Baker as its standard bearer in a sign of intense friction between Bakers and the party’s conservative leadership.

• Speaker Thomas Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement who Trump named his “border czar” in 2019, spoke for more than an hour, leading the crowd in a “Trump! Trump! Trump!” chant after he finished.

• Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, a Diehl adviser, weaved throughout the crowd.

• David Beriet, the former leader of 40 Days of Life, an antiabortion group addressed the crowd. The party’s platform in the past frowned on abortion.

• Jim Lyons told the delegates “We don’t get our rights from Beacon Hill. We don’t get our rights from Washington. We get our rights from God. It’s time Democrats realize this.”

• Rayla Campbell, the party’s candidate for Secretary of State, charged that Republicans “watched our elections be stolen” and vowed that a “red tsunami … is brewing” in this year’s election, using biblical terms to describe Democrats. “We are going to crush and destroy these rotten devils that call themselves Democrats!” “This is a battle of good versus evil.”

• Chris Doughty, to light applause and some booing drew on his experience as a business owner and promises to create jobs and his role as a grandfather in promises to root out “indoctrination” in schools. He received 29% of the delegate votes.

• Leah Allen and Kate Campanale – Diehl’s and Doughty’s hand-picked running mates, respectively – vied for party endorsement for lieutenant governor. Allen received 70% of votes.

• Jay McMahon, a Buzzards Bay lawyer is running for attorney general for the second consecutive time.

• Anthony Amore, from Winchester, is running for state auditor for the second time.

• No Republican is running for state treasurer.

• Byron Donalds, a conservative Florida US Rep who was endorsed by Trump was the keynote speaker. He urged activists to be “more active” to help begin cutting into Democrat control. He trained his sights lowers than turning the “deep sea blue” state red. “Let’s just get to, like, purple”

Boston Globe – May 22

The following members of the Danvers Democratic Town Committee were elected as Town Meeting Members:

Louis George – Precinct 1

Deborah Gesauldo – Precinct 1

Julie Curtis – Precinct 5

Marilyn Hazel – Precinct 6

Ryan Griffis – Precinct 6

Carla King – Precinct 8

Lou Bernazzani – Precinct 8

Dan Geary – Precinct 8

The Annual Town Meeting was held in the Danvers High School Auditorium on Monday May 16, 2022 at 7:30 PM.

The Town Meeting consisted of a Special Town Meeting in which 6 Articles were voted on and the Annual Town Meeting in which 40 Articles were voted on.

Drawing a lot of discussion is Article 5 under the Annual Town Meeting articles. This Article is titled: Home Rule Petition – Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical Schools District Enrollment. This article proposed placing a limit on the number of Danvers students to be enrolled at the Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical Schools District each year.

The town tabled this controversial issue on capping its enrollment at Essex Tech and shot down a proposed procedure for recalling elected town officials during Danvers’ Annual Town Meeting Monday night.

The town’s Finance Committee gathered with 128 Town Meeting members inside Danvers High School’s auditorium for a quick Special Town Meeting and Annual Town Meeting to consider 46 total proposed articles.

Town Meeting members passed an amendment to indefinitely postpone a vote on Article 5, a drafted home rule petition that would cap the number of Danvers students who attend Essex North Shore Technical & Agricultural School to 40 freshmen per year. “This amendment’s postponement will allow for the opportunity for more firm, continued and renewed work with Essex Tech’s administration, as well as potential for public workshops or other focused communications to answer questions outside of social media or less-inclusive email chains.

Voters reelected two incumbent members of the Select Board and elected a new member to the School Committee and other local representatives during the town’s election Tuesday.

Appears around 2600 residents cast their ballots at Danvers High School between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m..

Gabriel Lopes received 1,457 votes for an open seat on the School Committee, beating against Paula Jones, who garnered 808 votes. Lopes’ term will last the next three years.

Incumbents Daniel Bennett and David Mills won the two seats up for grabs on the Select Board. Bennett came in first with 1,295 ballots. Mills grabbed the second with 1163 votes coming ahead of third-place finisher Timothy Donahue by 37 votes. Both of the incumbents will serve three-year terms.

Town Moderator Patricia Fraizer, who ran unopposed, was re-elected for another year with 1690 votes.

DDTC member Julie Curtis won seat on Library Trustees Board leading with 1,356 votes, followed by Natalie Luca Fiore with 1307 votes and, Kenneth Yoon Lee with 1,082 votes. All were elected to three-year seats as Library Trustees.

The first Annual Town Election after the completion of the 2020 Federal Census requires that precinct lines be rebalanced, ALL Town Meeting Members be reset and ALL member seats will run for re-election.  All of the eight Precincts 18 seats were up for election.  The top 6 candidates in each Precinct that received the most votes will be elected to the 3 year term, the next 6, to the 2 year term, and the last 6 of the top 18 will be elected to the 1 year term.  To find out who they are visit: https://storage.googleapis.com/proudcity/danversma/uploads/2022/04/05-03-22_ATE_OFFICIAL_Results.pdf

BOSTON- The Massachusetts State Senate on Thursday unanimously passed S.2802, An Act relative to the creation of a women’s rights history trail. The legislation celebrates the rich history of the women’s rights movement and contributions women have made across the Commonwealth.

Each year, thousands of tourists visit Boston to walk the Freedom Trail, to learn about the founding of our nation and walk in the history of our founding fathers. This legislation would allow residents and visitors alike to follow a similar trail to learn about the women who have made our Commonwealth, and nation, what it is today. By attracting tourists to women’s rights history trail sites, this bill will also help to stimulate economic activity throughout Massachusetts.

“Women in Massachusetts have played a pivotal role at every step in the Commonwealth’s history, yet their contributions are too often overlooked,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “The Women’s Rights History Trail will serve as a visible monument to the history of women—and the women’s rights movement. Understanding this history gives us all a chance to reflect on where we have come from and what it means to leave a legacy that can uplift and inspire future generations. I am glad to see that this trail will give particular attention to the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of the women who have transformed Massachusetts. I would like to thank Senator Lovely and her staff for their work to make this a reality.”

“Massachusetts has a rich history of involvement in the women’s rights movement,” said Senator Joan B. Lovely (D-Salem), the bill’s lead sponsor. “Women have had a pivotal role in shaping the policies of our Commonwealth, and this bill will ensure that those contributions are known and celebrated. I would like to thank Senate President Spilka for her strong leadership and the work she has done to highlight women’s history, and the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators for their advocacy. The history of these women is our history, and we must continue to advance that history forward.”

This legislation creates a 16-member task force responsible for soliciting public input and conducting research to recommend sites, properties, and attractions that are historically and thematically associated with the struggle for women’s rights and women’s suffrage, and that reflect Massachusetts’ geographic and demographic diversity. The Senate bill also requires the inclusion of accomplishments of women veterans in the trail, as well as recommendations for increasing the representation of women in the artwork of the State House. Members of the task force would include representatives from the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Commission on the Status of Women, and the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, among others.