Author: Boston Ward 19 Democratic Committee

The Boston Ward 19 Democratic Committee will conduct its annual caucus on Saturday, June 24, 2023. The business of the caucus is to elect delegates to the State Convention.

The caucus will be in person at Curtis Hall, 20 South Street, Jamaica Plain. Registration opens at 10:30 am; you must check in or be in line by 11:00. Ward 19 has 23 delegate positions, plus 5 alternates.

The caucus is open to all. All registered Democrats in Ward 19 can participate in the process of becoming and/or electing delegates to this year’s convention, which will be held on Saturday, September 23, at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.

If you have any questions, contact info@bostonward19dems.org.

The Democratic primary election for the currently vacant seat will be held on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. There are no current candidates from any other party; the primary will, in all likelihood, determine the next representative.

All three Democratic candidates were guests of the Boston Ward 19 Democratic Committee at its regular April meeting, in separate interviews. For further information, the candidates, with their contact information, are:

• Bill MacGregor, https://www.billmacgregor.org, info@billmacgregor.org
• Rob Orthman, https://www.robertorthman.com, info@robertorthman.com
• Celia Segel, https://electcelia.com, info@electcelia.com

The 10^th district includes Precincts 2, 3, and 8 in Ward 19. To determine your voting location, click here. To confirm your voter registration, click here. 

Stacy Thompson (Livable Streets) and Jarred Johnson (TransitMatters) will be at our meeting on Monday, March 6. Join us for a discussion of important issues in local transportation.

The meeting starts at 7:00 pm and the forum will begin at about 7:30.The meeting is in person at the Roslindale Community Center, 6 Cummins Highway, or on Zoom at this link.

Thursday, February 9, 2023, 7:00-8:00 pm.

Join DNC Chair Jaime Harrison for an exclusive briefing about President Biden’s second State of the Union address and how the DNC is building the infrastructure for success in 2023, 2024, and beyond. He will discuss its history, its significance, and answer supporter questions about what’s next with the DNC. You don’t want to miss this!

To register, use this link.

See the Meetings page (https://bostonward19dems.org/activities/meetings-events/) for details.

The Boston City Council Committee on Redistricting is currently undergoing the decennial process of reviewing and redrawing the 9 City Council district boundaries according to 2020 Census redistricting data. New district boundaries will be in effect for the 2023-2031 municipal elections until redrawn in 2032 following the 2030 Census. Community engagement and public participation are essential to a redistricting process that strengthens our local democracy and is reflective of the communities officials are elected to represent.

The Committee will hold a public hearing this Thursday, September 29, 2022 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the City Council’s Iannella Chamber on the 5th floor of Boston City Hall (www.boston.gov/public-notices/15922436). There will be options to participate in-person or virtually, as well as to submit comments separate from the hearing. 

As Chair of the Committee on Redistricting, I want to emphasize that the Committee does not have a proposed map at this time, and this hearing is dedicated to discussing community priorities, values, and guidelines (see Docket #1098, Order for the adoption of City Council redistricting principles). Public testimony received will inform the drafting of a proposed district plan, which will then be followed by an extensive public comment and review period prior to final passage.

The criteria and additional common considerations for drawing districts include: 

• Compliance with the Voting Rights Act
• Racial and language minority protections and voting strength
• Equal population across districts (“One Person, One Vote”)
• Review of demographic data by race, ethnicity, and voting age
• Compact districts with contiguous boundaries
• Preservation of neighborhoods and communities of interest
• Analysis of population change and projected growth
• Encouraging competitive districts

Please do not hesitate to contact my office should you have any questions regarding the redistricting process. I appreciate any assistance toward ensuring that all of our communities’ voices are engaged in this process.

Respectfully,

Liz Breadon

The Massachusetts Democratic Party has prepared this video with the following introduction:

The general election has commenced and we can’t take anything for granted. Geoff Diehl won the Republican primary for governor, so today we are launching our efforts to educate voters about his dangerous record. We need your help to spread the word about Diehl’s extreme vision for the state. Can you share these videos on social media so that your friends and neighbors understand the threat that Geoff Diehl poses to our basic rights? Geoff Diehl is a staunch supporter of Donald Trump and has pledged to continue his allegiance to the former president, even in light of his attacks on democracy and his role in the January 6 insurrection. Diehl is also proudly anti-abortion rights – he pushed to ban abortion while serving in the Legislature. With our reproductive freedom on the ballot this year, we can’t allow a candidate in our Governor’s Office who will threaten our basic rights. We need to stop Geoff Diehl. Not only that – we have the chance to elect Maura Healey, a champion for reproductive rights. We need a Governor who will defend our rights, not eliminate them. That’s where you come in.

The Human Rights Commission presents this Community Town Hall in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement and City Councilor Kendra Lara’s Office.

The purpose of this session is to provide an open and safe space for all that identify as LGBTQ+ to speak about their experiences and concerns with hate incidents in Boston. We want to hear from you.

Limited speaking slots available for community testimonials.

Attend the Zoom meeting: bit.ly/LGBTQpublicsafety

Share your experience: bit.ly/lgbtqtestimonial

Please note: The Boston Ward 19 Democratic Committee’s endorsement meeting and vote, on Monday, August 22, 2022, preceded by several days the troublesome accusations that have affected the Suffolk County District Attorney race. The Committee has no provision for rescinding or changing endorsements, and there is insufficient time for it to take any other actions before the primary. The Committee will learn from this situation by working on changes to its bylaws to address future problems.

The Boston Ward 19 Democratic Committee has endorsed the following candidates in the Democratic Primary, September 6, 2022:

Statewide offices:

• Governor: Maura Healy
• Lieutenant Governor: Tami Gouveia
• Auditor: Chris Dempsey
• Attorney General and Secretary of the Commonwealth: No Endorsement

Suffolk County:

• District Attorney: Ricardo Arroyo
• Sheriff: Steve Tompkins

Massachusetts Senate Second Suffolk district:

• Nika Elugardo

Massachusetts House districts:

• 6th Suffolk: Russell Holmes
• 15th Suffolk: Sam Montaño

In Ward 19, precincts 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 were changed due to reprecincting.  Reprecincting was needed partly because of the way the legislature set up the new districts for the state house and senate.  The piece of precinct 3 on the east side of Centre St. was moved into precinct 4.  The northern part of precinct 9, along the Arborway and neighboring streets was moved into precinct 8.   The western half of precinct 7 was moved into precinct 9.  You can see details for Ward 19 on pages 61-64 of this document.  No precinct voting locations were moved, but if your precinct changed from 3 to 4 or from 7 to 9, your location will have changed.  (8 and 9 vote in the same place, so those moved from 9 to 8 still vote in the same place.)

Here are some voting resources from the Secretary of State.

Here’s where to look up where to vote, which will also give you your precinct and which districts you are going to be in due to redistricting. You can also see a sample ballot when you enter your address on that page.

From Helen Raizen, Member of the Boston Ward 19 Democratic Committee.