Lou

FreedomFest – A Great Evening

Our theme is “We Choose Freedom!”

Our first FreedomFest was very successful. The room was full, the speakers were great, the enthusiasm was high, the food was great and the rookie host was OK.

Who knew that just about every speaker we invited wanted to attend FreedomFest. With 12 scheduled speakers, I was concerned that the event could drag on but each speaker was crisp, inspiring and informative and the agenda just moved right along. We even added 2 speakers (Marsha Finkelstein and Beth Kontos) to the program. We appreciated all the speakers who gave up their Saturday evening to join us. We were sorry that Senator Lovely was unable to join us as she came down with COVID and we wish her to feel better soon.

In the spirit of the Harris/Walz campaign – We Chose Freedom and We are NOT Going Back!. The guests wore their favorite patriotic or political shirt or, in some cases, tie. They all looked Maaahvelous! DanversDems were well represented with many members attending plus some new Danvers faces and many folks from neighboring towns. I was especially pleased to see the support from many of the Democrat City/Town Committee chairs that attended.

I want to thank Marilyn and the DanversDems LeadershipTeam (Julie, Tom, Kacey and Liz) for pulling this all together. Thank you to everyone who donated food. There was a wide variety and plenty for everyone. Special thanks to Lou and Ellen George and Dave Rodriquez for manning the kitchen, to Marco for helping me with the microphone, to everyone who passed me notes helping me with people I needed to acknowledge or stuff I forgot, to Tom and Carla Meagher for taking the leftover food to the Beverly Shelter, to Joe Durand for taking pictures and Tom Meagher for general guidance to me on the order of the proceedings and speakers. I also want to give a special thanks to everyone for their embrace and kind words for Maria, who was determined to attend FreedomFest after her operation.

We also raised money for the DDTC Scholarship Fund.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing everyone. Next meeting is Tuesday, October 15.

For more information contact: Lou Bernazzani at lou@danversdemocrats.org / 
781-607-4602 or visit the DDTC web page

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At the Kamala Harris Rally in NH – 9/4

Maria and I attended the Kamala Harris rally in North Hampton NH at the Throwback Brewery. It was So Cool! (not the weather because it was hot. :). It was a great event. Kamala introduced her new policies to support small businesses. She was energized and energizing and the crowd responded with equal enthusiasm and energy. Shouts of “We Won’t Go Back! rang through the crowd.

A volunteer told me that the NH Dems invited 3,000 people to the rally and I think every one of them was there. The area was packed with every seat in the bleachers and the entire infield before the stage full. People of all ages.

Besides being a great rallying event it was a first rate event. Everyone parked at Water Country in Portsmouth. Maria has some difficulty walking so it was a concern but the NH Dems and Harris Team were absolutely great. They had golf carts at Water Country that took us to the Admission tables where we had to check in (They checked IDs to make sure you were on the invite list.) and then they took us to the ADA bus (1 of 24 buses) that would shuttle us to the Throwback Brewery in North Hampton (about 10 minutes away). Once at the Brewery, we went through a separate security line to minimize time and then they had the first 2 rows of every bleacher reserved. It was hotter than expected and they had water, lemonade and Gatorade available free and volunteers came around constantly handing them out. Same on the way out. The volunteers expedited everyone out to a bus and golf carts were waiting to take us to our car. Absolutely well planned and first rate.

At the Kamala Harris Rally in NH – 9/4 Read More »

Liz Cheney Endorses Kamala Harris

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on Wednesday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, the latest high-profile Republican endorsement for Democrats.

“Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris,” Cheney said in a video of remarks posted to X.

The former congresswoman said in her remarks that it is “crucially important” for people to understand that people do not have “the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states.”

The Harris campaign welcomed Cheney’s support.

“She is a patriot who loves this country and puts our democracy and our Constitution first,” Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement Wednesday night.

I am unsure how much difference this will make in the current MAGA Republican Party. Hopefully, it encourages other Republicans of like mind to also vote for Kamala Harris rather than writing in or sitting out. I would think that a swing of even a few percentage of Republican votes would be important.

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Steve Bartha offered position in Lexington

Lexington Select Board members voted unanimously Wednesday to offer Danvers Town Manager Steve Bartha a position as its town manager, marking the likely conclusion of his 10 years as a Danvers public official.

Bartha was one of 24 applicants who sought to fill the Lexington position vacated Tuesday by Town Manager James Malloy who retired after six years in the role.

Bartha has served as Danvers town manager for a decade, taking over the position after former Town Manager Wayne Marquis’ retired in 2014.

Before Lexington’s official decision, Danvers Select Board Chair (and DanversDEms) David A.Mills told the Salem News, “This is my 12th year on the Select Board, and in that time, the most important vote I ever made was for Steve Bartha to be the town manager. He has been a superb manager, and I would love to have him stay on.”

I do not know Steve Bartha other than to say hello but at the meetings I have attended he was always well prepared, knowledgeable about all topics and on top of everything going on in the town. I think that I would share David’s opinion .

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Massachusetts Events 10/31 – 11/7

Here are some ways you can take action.
Sat, Nov 2 @ 10am
MA <> NH Nashua Canvassing ›
Sat, Nov 2 @ 10am
MA <> NH Manchester Canvassing ›
Fri, Nov 1 @ 10am
Get Out the Vote Canvasses for Senator Cyr and Rep. Kip Diggs ›
Fri, Nov 1 @ 10am
Get Out the Vote Canvasses for Senator Cyr and Owen Fletcher ›
Fri, Nov 1 @ 10:30am
Knock Doors in Falmouth for Dylan Fernandes w/ Thomas Moakley and Vineyard Dems ›
Fri, Nov 1 @ 12pm
Voter Outreach at the Underground Railroad Cafe & Gallery ›
All times Eastern

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DanversDems Meeting – September 17

The September Meeting was held on Tuesday, September 17.

All the speakers did a great job- Beth Kontos was convincing explaining why we should vote to eliminate the MCAS graduation requirement (Ballot Question 2), she  came with signs, buttons, & literature to support the cause. Joan Lovely followed Beth by discussing a variety of noteworthy issues of the day & recent legislative accomplishments, she thanked us for our support. Essex County Clerk of Courts Tom Driscoll also popped in at our the start of the meeting to thank us for our support in the primary, he & Joan both have Republican opponents in November. Phil Bolduc wrapped up the meeting with an engaging talk about volunteerism & the need  for Democrats to be more actively involved on the local level, particularly with all the recent changes in town government (Selectmen, Town Manager, etc). Phil cited an alarming number of vacancies on local boards & committee as currently listed on the town web site, & stressed that it would be great to see many of these vacancies filled by those who share our democratic values. 

We also had a  lively & productive discussion about electronic voting & donations, with numerous members participating. When all was said & done, the consensus was that people preferred to have the opportunity to vote in person, where members could share their unique perspectives & perhaps come up with compromise solutions rather than straight up or down , yes or no electronic voting. Consistent with that approach, after several proposals & “friendly amendments”, it was decided to continue with the $450 in donations

All in all it was a very positive & productive meeting. Attendees were encouraged to promote & buy tickets to our FreedomFest event and to head over to Marilyn’s on 9/30 for her post card party. 

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