event

Delegates gathered at the Tsongas Center in Lowell On Saturday, September 23rd, to adopt potential changes to the MassDems charter.

Lou Bernazzani, Liz Brennan, Julie Curtis, Marilyn Hazel, Rep Sally Kerans, Sen Joan Lovely, Vince Malgeri and Tom Meagher represented the DDTC.

There were 3 training session offered at 8AM in a local hotel. They were Save Our Democracy: Campaigning Across the Country, BlueLocal: How to Organize in Your Communities and ActBlue Training: So you want to run for office?. Liz and Lou attended the Blue Local. Its focus was how to form a town/ward committee, bring new ideas and energy to your existing committees, and organize across different affinity groups and communities. It was a well run session with 4 delegates from different areas of the state and representing different age groups. Lots of good ideas which I will provide to the committee.

There were two 9AM breakfasts. One by Seth Moulton and veterans and the second by Elizabeth Warren and the AFL-CIO. They were both packed to capacity. Some of us got in to hear Sen Elizabeth Warren, Rep Lori Trahan and AFL-CIO Warren Tolman.

Our Second Essex District had front row seats. We were on the floor just to the right of the stage. Rumor was that this was courtesy of Lt Governor Kim Driscoll.

The Convention started at 10 AM and was very well run. There were a number of speakers beginning with local Democrats including the Mayor of Lowell Sokhary Chau and state rep and and senator Edward Kennedy, Warren Told (AFL-CIO) and Gina McCarthy. We then heard from Party Chair Steve Kerrigan, Congresswoman Lori Trahan, Secy. of State Galvin, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Treasurer Deb Goldberg,  Auditor Diana DZoglio, Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll and Governor Maura Healey. Each speaker was upbeat expressing accomplishments and the values of Democrats. None ignored the current MAGA Republicans but they didn’t dwell on it an each was energizing. A first for me was when Auditor Diana DiZoglio burst into song during her speech.

I thought new Part Chair Steve Kerrigan did a great job running his first convention. He ran it well with some lighthearted humorous comments.

There were 4 charter amendments proposed. All four were approved. Two were just wording changes but two had significant discussion for and against. The first proposal was: if the delegate veteran representation did not reflect the veteran population in the state that a. number of at-large veteran delegates would be added. The voice vote was close and the decision of the chair recognizing the ayes prevailed was successfully challenged and a second vote was required before approval. The fourth amendment was: no member of the state committee , other than the chairman, can be eligible for full time non-temporary employment within the MassDems Party. The prevailed with a pretty significant majority.

Something I had not seen before was video speeches from Democrat Party State Chairs from different states. My recollection was New Hampshire, California, Virginia and Wisconsin but there may have been another or two.

Anticipating the the convention would end around 1 PM, Gov Healey sponsored a party at the Zorba Restaurant. However, the convention went to about 2:45 PM. I did make my way to the Zorba but it was packed and the line for food was out the door.

State Rep. Sally Kerans will host “office hours” in the communities of the 13th Essex District on the following dates.

Danvers: “First Friday,” Sept. 1 and the first Friday of every month, 8:30 to 10 a.m., Danvers Senior Center.

Middleton: Tuesday, Aug.

29, 6 to 7 p.m., Flint Public Library.

Topsfield: Tuesday, Sept. 12, 5 to 6 p.m., Topsfield Public Library.

West Peabody: Wednesday, Sept. 13, 5 to 6 p.m., West Branch Library.

Wenham: Wednesday, Sept.

20, 5 to 6 p.m., Hamilton Wenham Public Library.

All residents of the 13th Essex District are welcome stop in to share a concern, ask a question or just say hello. RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary.

Constituents can also make an appointment to meet at a mutually agreeable time by emailing Sally.

Kerans@mahouse.gov or chloe.mitchell@mahouse. gov or by calling 617-7222210 x. 8903 Kerans represents the town of Danvers, Peabody’s Ward 6, Middleton’s Precinct 3, Topsfield’s Precinct 2 and Wenham’s Precinct 1A.

She serves on the Committees on Public Health, Ways and Means, Transportation, Financial Services and Mental Health and Substance Use Recovery.

Meeting was held on Thursday, August 3 @ 7:00 PM in the Gordon Room of the Danvers Peabody Institute Library.  It was a hybrid meeting. Still working out the kinks but will get better as we go forward.

Agenda:

Guest Speaker: Jasmine Ramon, Director of Equity and Inclusion, Danvers

This is a new position. We thank Jasmine for speaking with us. She was interesting and informative. It was great for us to learn of then new departments inception and Jasmine’s goals. 

Business Meeting:

1. Preparations for the State Convention Sept. 23

2. Organizing and preparations for our Octoberfest to be held Oct. 7

3. Discussion about Holiday plans

4. SIGNING NOMINATION PAPER FOR DANVERS DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE

The election of Town Committee members occurs only once every 4 years, the presidential election year.  This must be signed if you want to be on the ballot to become a full voting member of the committee. I hope to see many.

Happy Labor Day

We’re super excited for our upcoming convention in September, and we know that it would not be possible without your hard work. We want to make sure that all Democratic voices are heard this Fall, so we’ve decided to extend the add-on application deadline. Add-on applications are now due on July 21st by 5 PM!

Applications are available on our website for add-on delegate categories of youth, underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, disability, and LGBTQ+ categories. We greatly appreciate your help in pushing this out on social media and with your networks and friends, we cannot thank you enough. 

If you, or someone you know needs assistance with their add-on application or delegate fee, please contact us at convention@massdems.org.

There are a couple of slots still not filled. If you are interested in being a delegate to the convention, you can do so by emailing to info@danversdemocrats.org, or to hazel_marilyn@yahoo.com or by using Contact Us on this website.

This is an Issues Convention to be held Sat. Sept. 23 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.  (For more info, go to https://massdems.org/massdems-convention/ )

The weather cleared just long enough on Saturday so we could have our annual DDTC Cookout. The skies cleared around 3:30 and began raining sporadically around 5:00. The large maple tree in Marilyn’s backyard provided ample protection until just about 6:00 when the skies opened up and we had to retreat.

School Committee Member Gabe Lopes and his wife joined us and presented this years DDTC college scholastic scholarship to DHS graduate Tess Wallenstein, who attended with her dad.. In presenting the scholarship, Committee Member Lopes described Tess’ impressive scholastic achievement and numerous extracurricular activities inside and outside the Danvers school system. Tess will be attending the University of Massachusetts in Amherst majoring in political science with the goal of becoming a lawyer. Senator Joan Lovely also joined us congratulating Tess on her accomplishments and best wishes for her future. Following the cookout, Tess went to work her shift at Sam & Joes.

We were able to enjoy hamburgers and hot dogs and the side dishes and deserts brought by committee members but the weather did not allow a meeting. There will not be a meeting in July.

Thank you to Marilyn for hosting the event and to everyone who brought side dishes and/or deserts.

Thursday May 25 we held our caucus and elected members to attend the MassDems Issues Convention.

The following people were elected to attend the MassDems State Convention:

• Lou Bernazzani
• Liz Brennan
• Joe Caiazzo
• Karen Desmond
• Beth Kontos
• Vince Malgeri
• Tom Meagher
• Ted Speliotis

Sally Kerans, Marilyn Hazel, and Julie Curtis as State Representative and State Committee Members go ex officio.

There are a couple of slots still not filled. If you are interested in being a delegate to the convention, you can do so by emailing to info@danversdemocrats.org, or to hazel_marilyn@yahoo.com or by using Contact Us on this website.

This is an Issues Convention to be held Sat. Sept. 23 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.  (For more info, go to https://massdems.org/massdems-convention/ ). The fee is $75; $50 for Seniors.  There is also a fee waiver.  Reminder to dlegates to pay for the Convention on massdems.org.

This was our first hybrid meeting conducted in person at the library and also via Zoom enabling those who are unable to attend in person to participate. It worked well and will likely be how we will conduct meetings in the future. (We were glad to have our newest member, Liz Brennan to participate from home.) In addition to enabling committee members to join virtually, it will also make it easier for speakers to address the committee when their schedules make it difficult to meet with us in person.

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND THE CONVENTION. You can do so by emailing to info@danversdemocrats.org, or to hazel_marilyn@yahoo.com or using Contact Us on this website.

The DDTC sponsored an informal Democrat Social Event at the Peabody Institute Library on Saturday morning May 20.

Our event was very successful.  Many Danvers Dems attended ( I counted around 30) and I think that we might have some new members.  

State Senator Joan Lovely, State Representative Sally Kerans, Governors Councillor Eileen Duff and Congressman Seth Moulton’s representative Matt Chilliak joined us providing an update on the issues being faced and worked on at the local, state and national level. It evolved into a great Q and A and interesting discussion of dem values and concerns. We are very grateful to them for giving of their time and staying around for the entire 2 hours mingling with us and answering questions in an informal setting.

Also thank you to Lou and Julie for all their help. We sent out about 250 mailings to Dems who actively vote.  Lou and Maria worked hard on this task. Julie handled advertising.

We also thank everyone who attended and look forward for more opportunities to engage on the issues.

If you have questions or want more information, please contact us

For those unable to attend, the following is a short video ( 3-4 minutes) about the DDTC.

TOWN WIDE ELECTION MAY 2, 2023   VOTE YES for the Quality of Life in Danvers.

The Trustees of the Society voted to support what is likely the most important historic preservation effort that the Town of Danvers has undertaken in the past century.

By accepting the Community Preservation Act , the Town of Danvers would create a grant program to fund historic preservation, open space preservation, and veterans and senior housing programs. This fund would mean that the Rebecca Nurse Homestead Museum, the Danvers Historical Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution (Samuel Holten House), and other Danvers history organizations would be able to apply for a share of more than $1.2 million in grants each year.

The Community Preservation Fund is partly paid by fees collected by the Registry of Deeds. Currently, this money paid by Danvers residents is going to other towns’ historic sites each year instead of funding historic preservation here in Danvers. In addition to state money, the fund would be financed by a local charge of 1% of your current property tax bill. (Not the assessed value.) The average Danvers home owner would pay about $17.50 per quarter.

With CPA historic preservation grant funds, the Town of Danvers Preservation Commission would be able to:

Restore the dozens of veteran’s graves that have fallen into disrepair and dishonor in the town-owned cemeteries (such as on High St.) or the abandoned cemeteries the town maintains.

Ensure preservation of the 1681 Salem Village Parsonage site on Centre St.,1892 Peabody Institute Library, 1855 Town Hall, 1832 Putnamville School, façade of the 1923 Holten-Richmond Middle School, 1870 Civil War memorial and other veterans memorials, the Salem Village Witch-Hunt Victims Memorial on Hobart St., and numerous other historic sites.

How you can be involved:

-Encourage your friends and family who are Danvers residents and supporters of historic preservation to support this effort as well.

-Host a sign on your lawn, or volunteer to hold a sign at an intersection around town.

-Vote YES on May 2nd, 2023

For any questions, please contact President, David McKenna at 508-328-2790

The Annual Election is on May 2.

Positions on the ballot:

• Town Moderator – one 1 year term
• Select Board member – one 3 year term
• Housing authority – one 1 year term
• School Committee – two
• Library Trustees – three 3 year term
• Town Meeting member for all eight precincts – six – 3 year term
• Town Meeting member Precinct 4 – one – 2 year term (in addition to six)
• Town Meeting member Precinct 4 – one – 1 year term (in addition to six)

Community Preservation Act

The DDTC supports the CPA

VOTE YES for the Quality of Life in Danvers.

The Trustees of the Society voted to support what is likely the most important historic preservation effort that the Town of Danvers has undertaken in the past century.

By accepting the Community Preservation Act , the Town of Danvers would create a grant program to fund historic preservation, open space preservation, and veterans and senior housing programs. This fund would mean that the Rebecca Nurse Homestead Museum, the Danvers Historical Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution (Samuel Holten House), and other Danvers history organizations would be able to apply for a share of more than $1.2 million in grants each year.

The Community Preservation Fund is partly paid by fees collected by the Registry of Deeds. Currently, this money paid by Danvers residents is going to other towns’ historic sites each year instead of funding historic preservation here in Danvers. In addition to state money, the fund would be financed by a local charge of 1% of your current property tax bill. (Not the assessed value.) The average Danvers home owner would pay about $6.00 per month.

With CPA historic preservation grant funds, the Town of Danvers Preservation Commission would be able to:

Restore the dozens of veteran’s graves that have fallen into disrepair and dishonor in the town-owned cemeteries (such as on High St.) or the abandoned cemeteries the town maintains.

Ensure preservation of the 1681 Salem Village Parsonage site on Centre St.,1892 Peabody Institute Library, 1855 Town Hall, 1832 Putnamville School, façade of the 1923 Holten-Richmond Middle School, 1870 Civil War memorial and other veterans memorials, the Salem Village Witch-Hunt Victims Memorial on Hobart St., and numerous other historic sites.

Web ask all members to vote YES on May 2nd, 2023

For any questions, please contact President, David McKenna at 508-328-2790

The Community Preservation Act is on the ballot also. For more information, go to https://www.danvershistory.org/collecting-signatures-for-cpa-2/

I

The DDTC team participated in Town Wide Clean Up Day. We were assigned to the Senior Center.

For more info, go to https://www.danversma.gov/775/2023-Town-Wide-Clean-Up