November 5th Democratic State Committee Meeting Update

This post is not intended to serve as official minutes of the meeting; rather, it’s my account of the meeting.

On Thursday, November 5^th, 2009, the Democratic State Committee (“DSC”) held a meeting at the IBEW hall in Dorchester, MA. It was a well-attended meeting and featured many elected and newly elected Democrats, along with many Democratic activists.

As the elected State Committeeman for Boston’s Second Suffolk Senate District, elected in February 2008, I take pride in attending the meetings for my district and have yet to miss one.

Here’s a look at the meeting’s agenda:

1. Return to tabled discussion - Minutes from the April 25^th DSC meeting

2. Approval of Minutes

3. Governor Patrick

4. Candidates for State Treasurer (Steve Grossman and Joseph Connolly)

5. Special Election Update

6. Organizing for America Update

7. Treasurer’s Report

8. Executive Committee Report

9. Field Services Committee Report

10. Veterans and Military Families Outreach Committee Report

11. New Business

12. Adjourn

John Walsh, DSC Chair, began the meeting by introducing the elected and newly elected officials and candidates in attendance. I recall seeing Governor Deval Patrick, Secretary of State Bill Galvin; Boston City Council President Michael P. Ross, Boston City Councilor-Elect Felix Arroyo; Chelsea City Councilor Matt Frank; State Treasurer Candidates Steve Grossman, and Joseph Connolly; and US Senate candidate Alan Khazei (pronounced kay-zee). There were others in attendance, but my memory isn’t serving me very well at the moment.

Deval Patrick started the night off by talking about his reelection campaign. He had just returned from DC and said that Massachusetts would be receiving some good news from DC in the near future (I’m sure it had something to do with stimulus funds, or the health care bill). The Governor also mentioned that the reelection effort would not be about him; rather, it would be about Democratic ideals. He closed his segment by mentioning how, if he were to walk on water, the press would report that he could not swim.

Secretary Galvin stressed the importance of getting everyone in the Commonwealth counted for the upcoming census and that he was confident that Massachusetts would retain all of their seats in Congress, as a result of the census effort. He hinted that the 2010 state elections would not mirror what happened in 2010, and that Democrats needs to stress the organization they have built that is able to reach out to everyone in the Commonwealth.

Next up was Joe Connolly, the current Norfolk County treasurer, who is seeking to become State Treasurer. He touted his experience as treasurer of Norfolk County, and how he has saved the cities and towns in his district thousands of dollars throughout his tenure. Joe is a very likeable person. He comes across as a very average guy, who has worked hard his whole life to make public service a noble profession.

Following Mr. Connolly was Steve Grossman, the former Democratic National Committee Chairman and candidate for Governor. He owns a very profitable business, which he inherited from his father, who he mentions was the smartest man he’s ever known. His business has been a union shop since 1952 and never has had a matter go to arbitration. His priorities as treasurer would be to help create jobs, and to establish a financial literacy program throughout Massachusetts. (He had other priorities, but I failed to write them down.)

Alan Khazei took the mic next by poking fun of himself (after the most recent televised debate). He mentioned, yet again, that his father was a doctor. I though Mr. Khazei was a great speaker and motivator. It’s no wonder why he has taken City Year to where it is today. However, I do believe that there was an extreme lack of substance in his speech.

Those were the main highlights of the evening. Next time, I hope to take some better notes and to be able to highlight the business of the meeting.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment, or email me at JLouisDawson@gmail.com

The next DSC meeting is on January 12^th, 2009.

Live Blogging from Tonight's "Open Mike" event for Michael Capuano

Live at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston at tonight's Open Mike event. Room is filling up quickly - average cover band banging away merely feet from me. Mike Ball, of Marry in Massachusetts sitting to my left.

Roger, roger. What's your vector, Victor?

ENDORSEMENT ISSUE – NOVEMBER 3RD BOSTON CITY ELECTION

On Tuesday, November 3^rd, voters will go to the polls to elect a Mayor of Boston, four At-Large City Councilors, and their District City Councilor. Here are my picks for those races (I live in District 8 of the Boston City Council):

Mayor of Boston: Thomas M. Menino

City Councilor At-Large

1. Tomas Gonzalez

2. John Connolly

3. Ayanna Pressley

District 8 City Council: Michael P. Ross

Mayor of Boston: Thomas M. Menino

Mayor Menino has been in office since 1993, after being elevated from City Council President, taking the reins after Mayor Ray Flynn was appointed be Ambassador to the Vatican in 1993. As a non-native Bostonian (I grew up in Ohio), I chose to move to Boston after graduating from college, choosing it over other cities such as Chicago, Columbus, Washington DC and New York. There was something about this city – its distinct town of neighborhoods feel - that drew me to it. So far, I’ve had a great experience here and feel that the Mayor has had a lot to do with it being a city I will call home the rest of my life. As a young professional in Boston, I commend the Mayor’s promotion of the BRA’s ONEin3 group – a group dedicated to bringing together the City’s 20-34 year olds. Their mission statement:

ONEin3 Boston serves the one-third of Boston's population that is between the ages of 20 and 34. The program connects Boston's young adults with resources related to home buying, business development, professional networking, and civic engagement.

As a non-native Bostonian, ONEin3’s mission and work in the communities of Boston gives me reason to believe the Mayor is thinking about my happiness and professional success. I’ve attended many of ONEin3’s events and can thank the group for allowing me the opportunity to meet many new friends.

There are other reasons why I am supporting the Mayor, but none of them, in my opinion, are better than this: he is the best candidate for the job.

I’ve had the opportunity to listen to Michael Flaherty lately, live, and to be honest, if one was to know nothing about him, or the office he was running for, or the city they were in, they would have thought he was talking about Fallujah from the purely negative rhetoric coming from his mouth. That’s not the voice of a leader of change, that’s the voice of someone who was passed over for a job promotion.

Do I disagree with the Mayor on a few issues? Yes. Putting casinos in the Greater Boston area is one of them. However, simply put it, I believe he is the best candidate for the job of Mayor of Boston and deserves reelection.

Boston City Councilor At-Large: Tomas Gonzalez, John Connolly and Ayanna Pressley

Vote Tomas!

Tomas Gonzalez has more experience in city government than any other candidate for at-large councilor. He is also the only candidate with children in the Boston Public Schools. He is a former Latino Coordinator and Chief of Staff for Elder Affairs for the City of Boston – he knows the issues that a city councilor would address better than most candidates.

Tomas is a very loyal guy with a heart as big as a lion. He is a good Democrat and is first and foremost dedicated to making Boston a better place for him and his family, especially his son and daughter.

John Connolly

The top vote getter in the preliminary election, Councilor Connolly should have a great day on November 3^rd. He’s done a lot of work on making Boston a greener city, and his work on education convinces me he is determined to make the Boston Public Schools a solid choice for him and his wife, when their kids are school-aged.

Most importantly, Councilor Connolly is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He’s in this business for the right reasons and that is evident whenever hearing him speak about the issues and his vision for a One Boston (rather than an Old Boston or New Boston).

Ayanna Pressley

Ayanna will be a strong, independent voice on the Boston City Council, bringing accountability to voters, accessibility to constituents, and advocacy for all residents.

Why I’m supporting Ayanna: Ayanna’s the real deal and one of the brightest people I’ve ever met.

A few years ago, when John Kerry was facing a primary opponent in Ed O’Reilly, Mr. O’Reilly appeared before the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee to tell the committee members why he deserved our vote. In the same crowd was Ayanna Pressley, a Ward 5 member and Massachusetts political director for Senator Kerry. To put it nicely, after Ayanna was finished with Mr. O’Reilly, I thought it would be best for his political career for him to move out of state. Simply put it – she seemed more Senatorial than he did.

I have had the pleasure of getting to know Ayanna since that meeting and would be proud to support her in any race for public office. She is extremely intelligent and has command of the issues, will be extremely effective once in office because of her vast rolodex, and has the work ethic to give it 100%, all the time.

District 8 City Councilor: Michael P. Ross

Councilor Ross is one of my favorite elected officials. To sum up the kind of person he is – this past summer, when many elected officials were vacationing on the Cape, he, along with State Representative Jeffrey Sanchez, hosted a weekly night of softball with some of Mission Hill’s most vulnerable teens, to get them off the streets and onto a softball diamond. I had the pleasure of playing on Mike’s team for one of the games, and it was pretty clear how much the youths of Mission Hill looked forward to this weekly occurrence.

After moving to Boston a few years ago, Mike was the first public official I met, and I look forward to seeing his career progress.

First US Senate Forum Sends Wrong Message

One of the earliest mottos of the Democratic Party was that it was the party of the common man – a motto I take particular pride in because of the blue-collared work ethic instilled in me by my parents and grandparents.

However, the four candidates for US Senate did not keep that in the back of their minds when they agreed to the first forum of the US Senate primary campaign to feature all four (to be held on October 26^th in Boston). Why? Well, for starters, it will cost you $50, and you have to be a member of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce to attend.

My issue is not with the host group, as I believe job creation is the most important issue that will be addressed in this campaign. My issue is the exclusivity of the forum, and the messages that it sends to the folks who will be the boots on the ground (e.g., the sign holders, the phone bank coordinators, the grassroots organizers – your average person) come election day. I, personally, as a representative of the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee, along with representative from at least 15 other Democratic Ward Committees in Boston (see “boots” above), tried to organize a candidate’s forum, but was told by two of the front-running campaigns that there was some sort of conflict. Maybe if we would have charged $50 per person, we could have had some luck.

In a period when elected officials are being attacked for not representing the interests of average people, I think this was a political faux-pas.

2010 General Court Races in Boston Worth Watching

With most Boston-based political attention being paid to the US Senate, Mayoral, City Council, and Governor’s campaigns, I decided to take a look at the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance website and see which General Court races could be interesting next fall in Boston. So far, it looks like two sitting Democrats will have opponents (assuming those opponents only recently registered).

The first, Representative Elizabeth Malia, could be challenged for her 11^th Suffolk House seat by Rose K. Staram, a registered Democrat from Dorchester, who created a fundraising committee on Bastille Day, July 14, 2009.

The second, Representative Marty Walz, will likely have a Republican opponent in Brad Marston, who registered with OCPF on September 21, 2009.

Regardless if the opponent is a Democrat or Republican, I believe contested elections almost always produce a healthy debate, which, in turn, is best for democracy.

Your thoughts?

Just when I was going to cross O'Malley off my hit list...

Just when I was going to take O'Malley off my hit list for beating me up and stealing my lunch money, he says this.

WCVB's New Sunday Political Show Review

My buddy Ross beat me to the punch to review today's debut of "On the Record."