Lou

AG Campbell challenge Musk, DOGE government access

Massachusetts is among a group of blue states challenging the authority of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency’s “virtually unchecked power” to access sensitive federal government data.

A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., by Attorney General Andrea Campbell and 14 other Democratic AGs alleges that the access given to Musk and his DOGE team by President Donald Trump violates the separation of powers doctrine by creating a new department without approval from the U.S. Senate, among other allegations.

The AGs ask the judge to blunt Musk’s power by declaring that his recommendations are not legally binding and that he has no authority to

issue orders. They also want the court to bar Musk and DOGE from making changes to the disbursement of public funds, canceling government contracts or taking steps to dismantle

agencies.

“ There is no greater threat to democracy than the accumulation of state power in the hands of a single, unelected individual,” the 64 page complaint states. “Oblivious to the threat this poses to the nation, President Trump has delegated virtually unchecked authority to Mr. Musk without proper legal authorization from Congress and without meaningful supervision of his activities.”

Campbell said the lawsuit “seeks to put an end to the ongoing corruption and abuse of power at DOGE that threatens funding for crucial needs such as healthcare, education, and more.”

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Danvers Names New Assistant Schools Superintendent

 Kristen Anderson, the assistant superintendent of Nauset Public Schools, will join Danvers Public Schools as its new assistant superintendent in July as she replaces the retiring Mary Wermers.

Anderson is a 35-year educator with extensive experience in curriculum and administration. Anderson also worked as assistant superintendent in the Concord-Carlisle district for 11 years and was the principal of a preK-8 school in Brookline for four years. She taught for 15 years and moved to administration in 2005.

“We are very pleased to welcome Kristen to Danvers,” said Superintendent of Schools Dan Bauer. “She brings a wealth of experience that will help us continue to move our district forward.”

While she was at Concord-Carlisle, the high school was named one of the top five STEM high schools in the U.S. When she was math department head at Wayland High School, it ranked No. 1 in the state in MCAS math scores.

Danvers Names New Assistant Schools Superintendent Read More »

Meeting – February 27

Next meeting will be on Thursday, February 27 at 7:00 PM at the Danvers Library.

Please be aware that 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.

Just a quick reminder that our next meeting will be held in the Class Room conference room on the 27th.

Our last meeting took place on January 8th, and as a refresher, you can review the minutes here: January Meeting Minutes.

We are pleased to welcome Diann Slavit as our guest speaker. Diann is an immigration attorney who represents immigrants and refugees seeking asylum. She also served as a delegate at the 2024 Democrat Convention and will bring valuable insights to our discussion.

I am currently finalizing the meeting agenda. A lot has happened since our last gathering, so if you have suggestions for discussion topics or would like to be included on the agenda as a speaker, please reach out to me at lou@danversdemocrats.org or 978-304-2714.

As always, this will be a hybrid meeting, and the agenda and Zoom link will be shared before the meeting.

Maria and I plan to 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!
Thanks everyone.lou@danversdemocrats.org

Meeting – February 27 Read More »

Ken Martin Elected DNC Chair

Today, Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Chair and Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC) President Ken Martin was elected as the new Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) with overwhelming support from DNC members on the first ballot. In his acceptance speech, newly-elected Chair Martin committed to holding the Trump administration accountable, uniting and charting a new path for the Democratic Party, and fighting for working families. 

“The Democratic Party is the party of working people, and it’s time to roll up our sleeves and outcompete everywhere, in every election, and at every level of government — and I look forward to working with this next generation of leadership to build a Party to unite America,” said DNC Chair Ken Martin. “Today’s elections mark a new chapter in DNC leadership, and Donald Trump and his billionaire allies are put on notice: we will hold them accountable for ripping off working families, and we will beat them at the ballot box.” 

New DNC Chair Martin campaigned on a promise to implement a new framework at the DNC: Build to Win, Build to Expand, Build to Last. Here’s what that looks like:

  • Build to win by expanding our vision and infrastructure. This means funding parties in all 57 states and territories, meaningfully investing in youth empowerment and mobilization, ensuring there is Democratic infrastructure in every ZIP code, and organizing year-round.
  • Build to expand by going on offense everywhere, contesting every race, and embracing our responsibility to support Democrats running at every level.
  • Build to last by planning, organizing, and implementing a 10-year strategy to align the infrastructure, partnerships, and people we need to win. We must listen to voters and be willing to dig deep and recenter the Democratic agenda to reestablish who we are in the eyes of American voters.

Background on DNC Chair Ken Martin

Ken Martin has served as the Chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party since 2011 — making him the longest serving Chair in the 75-year history of the DFL. 

Ken made the DFL what it is today — an all-day, year-round party dedicated to organizing communities, empowering the grassroots, electing progressive candidates, and improving the lives of Minnesotans.

Given his success as the DFL Party Chairman, Ken was elected by his peers across the country to serve as the President of the Association of State Democratic Chairs in 2017, where he works with state and local party committees to build permanent, long-lasting political infrastructure so they can elect candidates from the school board to the Oval Office.

Before his election as Chairman, Ken spent two decades working for progressive candidates and causes. He played key leadership roles on various campaigns, including Dayton for Governor in 2010, Hatch for Governor in 2006, Kerry for President in 2004, Humphrey for Secretary of State in 2002, and Gore for President in 2000. Ken led the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment campaign in 2008, which dedicated funding to the arts, environment, conservation, and parks and trails in Minnesota. It is the largest conservation finance measure in the nation to ever become law.

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