Ring in a Democratic Decade: 4th Annual Barn Dance!

Join Democrats and friends from Boxford and surrounding towns on Saturday, January 30 for our 4th Annual  Barn Dance at Topsfield’s historic Gould Barn (1 Howlett Street, off the Green in Topsfield).   The festivities begin at 7: 30 pm.  Great R&B music for dancing and listening will again be provided by 2120 Michigan Avenue.  Appetizers and desserts, beer and wine all included in the ticket price.  Tickets are $20 per person or $30 per couple, and are on sale now:  Contact mariannerutter@yahoo.com or call 978-609-1554.

2010 Caucus Scheduled

The 2010 Boxford Democratic Caucus will be held on Thursday evening, February 11, 2010 at the Boxford Police Station’s meeting room, 285 Ipswich Road.  Registration and refreshments will be served at 7 pm, with the caucus being called to order promptly at 7:30.  All registered Democrats are urged to attend this important caucus to elect delegates to the 2010 state Democratic convention in June.

December meeting scheduled

The Boxford Democratic Town Committee will hold its next meeting on Saturday, December 5 at 10 am at the meeting room in the Boxford Police Station, 285 Ipswich Road.  Tickets will be available for the Committee’s annual Barn Dance, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 30 at the Gould Barn in Topsfield.  There will be  updates on the Senate primary race, the Governor’s re-election campaign, 1EM Coalition activities and other regional campaigns and events.  Preliminary information will also be shared on the annual local Democratic caucuses in February.

US Senate Democratic Candidates’ Forum on October 18

North Andover’s Democratic Town Committee has organized a Candidates’ Forum for the four candidates for U.S. Senate, to be held at the Rogers Center of Merrimack College on Sunday, October 18 at 2:30 pm.  All four declared Democratic candidates will attend the event.  The candidates will take turns on stage, each having five minutes for comments and then another 25 minutes for questions from the audience.  Steven Pagliuca will speak first, at 3 pm, followed in succession by Attorney General Martha Coakley, at 3:30; Congressman Michael Capuano at 4:00; and Alan Khazei at 4:30.

Boxford’s Democratic Town Committee is a co-sponsor of this event.

For more information, contact Mark DiSalvo, 508-633-3282, mdisalvo@sema4usa.com or Caroline Louise Cole, 978-204-1382, caroline.louise.cole@gmail.com

Tri-Town represented at Labor Day rally

Several Boxford and Topsfield progressives were among the more than 4,000 citizens who rallied on Boston Common in support of health care reform on the Labor Day holiday, Monday, September 7.  Cherie Hoyt, former chair of Boxford’s Democratic Town Committee, and Marianne Rutter, current chair,  joined Boxford Board of Health member Louise Kress and Heidi Fox, a member of Topsfield’s Democratic committee,  at the gazebo on Boston Common to hear remarks by state Attorney General Martha Coakley and several members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation (including our own Congressman, John Tierney).  Lively musical entertainment from two different ensembles got the proceedings going, then testimony was offered by leaders from labor and health care services groups.  John Spears, newly appointed Director of Organizing For America’s Massachusetts chapter, concluded the hour-long program by presenting the Congressmen with thousands of support petitions from their constituents in their districts, urging them to support the President’s plan to reform health care in America. 

 

 The rally then marched to Copley Square, most participants holding and waving handmade signs to show their support for the health reform initiatives now being debated in Congress.

View Cherie Hoyt’s wonderful pictures of the event in her photo album on Facebook.

“Health Care Can’t Wait” Boston Labor Day Rally

Honor Senator Kennedy’s commitment and passion for health reform on Labor Day in Boston.
Boston is one of only five cities in the country that will hold large rallies in support of healthcare reform on Labor Day.  On Monday, September 7, we have a chance to make it clear that supporters of health reform far outnumber those who oppose it.  

LABOR DAY HEALTH REFORM RALLY

Sponsors:  Organizing for America – Massachusetts (OFA-MA), Health Care for America Now (HCAN), SEIU 615, Jobs with Justice, and many more

Location: Park Square, at the intersection of Arlington St., Columbus Ave. and Stuart St., near the Arlington T stop.

Time: 11am-1pm

Agenda will include:  a tribute to Senator Kennedy;  4 or 5 speakers, including Congressman Mike Capuano and Boston Mayor Tom Menino; musical entertainment; a send-off delivery of thousands of support declarations for health care reform to the Massachusetts Congressional delegation in attendance.  You can sign one there.
The rally will end with a march from Park Square to Copley Square.

Click here to SIGN UP NOW!

First Annual Strawberry Shortcake Social

As part of its regularly scheduled meetings, on Thursday, June 18, the Boxford Democratic Town Committee held its first annual Strawberry Shortcake Social at 7 pm in the Boxford Community Center (4 Elm St., across from the library).    Ten members of the committee attended the event.  Boxford’s delegation to the state convention in Springfield on June 6 reported on the convention, and there were  brief reports on other activities.

New date for May meeting

The next meeting of Boxford’s Democratic Town Committee will be held on Sunday, May 17 at 11 am at Wayne’s Community Store in East Boxford center.  It will be a breakfast meeting (BYOB – buy your own breakfast!) with a brief agenda of business.    Our special guests at this meeting will be the two Masconomet seniors who are doing their State House Internships as we speak.  We’ll have a chance to meet one of our interns,  Kenneth Sargent of Boxford, in person and get his impressions of the program, which our committee is sponsoring again this year.

The State Party Platform

This year’s Democratic convention in Springfield will occasion the ratification of a new state party platform. Like the one drafted before the Denver Democratic National Convention last summer, our state party platform is a statement of the party’s mission, goals and most important issues.

The process by which the platform is drafted, revised and eventually voted upon is an open one, but one not widely known or understood by most Democrats.  This year, greater outreach is planned so that more people participate in the process and voice their views on what the platform should contain.

Platform hearings have always been a crucial part of the process, but this year many more platform hearings are being planned to further democratize the early stages of platform development.  In our area, the 1st Essex-Middlesex Coalition will hold a platform hearing at Ipswich Town Hall on Wednesday, March 18 at 7 pm.  Anyone with an idea to express for the platform is welcome to attend and voice your views.  For more information, email platform drafting committee member Elizabeth Kilcoyne at elizabethkilcoyne@hotmail.com.

Next meeting scheduled

The next meeting of the Committee will be on Tuesday March 10 at 7 pm in the meeting room at the Boxford police station, 285 Ipswich Road.