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.