Boston Ward 19 Democratic Committee

Farewell, Gordon, you fought the good fight for justice. Thank you for all of your wisdom and guidance.

Click here for Gordon’s obituary.

After a large turnout at the Issues Forum on Thursday, October 13, the Committee voted on Monday, October 17, to take positions on the current ballot questions:

1. Additional slots-only casino license: NO
2. Authorization of up to 12 new charter schools per year: NO
3. Prohibit certain methods of farm animal containment: YES
4. Legalize recreational marijuana for individuals at least 21 years old: NO POSITION
5. Community Preservation Act in the City of Boston: YES

A two-thirds vote is required for the Committee to take a YES or NO position. Question 4 did not have such a margin in either direction.

For more details on the first four ballot questions, which are state-wide: https://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_2016_ballot_measures

For more details on the Community Preservation Act: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Preservation_Act

The general election this year is on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. For registration and voting information, select “Voting Info” at the top right corner of this page.

This fall, the City of Boston is allowing residents to vote early for the first time. Early voting is similar to absentee voting, but you don’t need a reason or excuse to vote early.

From Monday, October 24, through Friday, November 4, you can vote at any early voting location in the City, including Boston City Hall. You can see the complete schedule for early voting locations at https://www.boston.gov/news/early-voting-locations-boston-2016-election. Pick the time and place that’s best for you.

All early voting locations are accessible to voters with disabilities. Every location will also have AutoMark machines for voters who need help marking their ballots.

The Boston Ward 19 Democratic Committee and its neighboring committees will hold an issues forum so that you can be informed about ballot questions in the November 8 general election:

• Date: Thursday, October 13, 2016, 6:30 pm.
• Location: First Baptist Church, 633 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, at the corner of Green and Myrtle Streets, adjacent to the Jamaica Plain Post Office and JP Licks. The Number 39 bus stops in both directions, and the church is about a 10-minute walk from the Green Street T Station.
• The forum is sponsored by Ward 9 (South End, Roxbury), Ward 10 (Mission Hill), Ward 11 (Jamaica Plain, Roxbury), Ward 12 (Roxbury), Ward 18 (Hyde Park) , Ward 19 (Jamaica Plain, Roslindale), and Ward 20 (Roslindale, West Roxbury).  Light refreshments will be served.
• The public is invited, and there is no charge.

The Boston Ward 19 Democratic Committee fundraiser will feature Jimmy Tingle with his humorous observations of the current political season:

• Date Monday, October 17, 2016
• Location: Doyle’s Cafe Back Room, 3484 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain, MA, a 7-minute walk from the Green Street T Station.
• Minimum requested donation: $25.00. Please contact the ward committee at info@bostonward19dems.org. Members of the committee will have tickets for sale.
• The presentation will begin at 6:30 pm. The Ward Committee will provide appetizers, and you can order drinks.

It was standing room only at the candidates’ forum on Tuesday, August 23, 2016:

At the completion of the forum, the Ward 19 Democratic Committee voted to endorse the following candidates for contested races in the September 8 Democratic primary:

• Senator, Second Suffolk: Sonia Rosa Chang-Díaz
• Representative, Eleventh Suffolk: Elizabeth A. Malia
• Sheriff, Suffolk County: Steven W. Tompkins

The Boston Neighborhood Network (bnntv.org) recorded the forum. You can watch it at https://bnntv.org/vod/bnn-special-events/bnn-election-coverage-farnsworth-house-candidates-night

 

At the most recent presentation on the project delay, at Boston English High School on July 20, the DOT representatives announced that the next regular office visits will be at Curtis Hall on August 23, 5:30-7:30.

Please contact Jim Kersten with any questions at james.a.kersten@state.ma.us or 857-368-9041.

At their annual meeting in December, JP Progressives  honored Ward 19 Committee member Henia Handler, for earning the first ever Golden Clipboard for JP Activist of the Year.

Representative Liz Malia, Henia Handler, Attorney General Maura Healey

Our friend Howard Leibowitz, former Ward 19 Co-Chair, and a true friend of the City of Boston, passed away this past Sunday, December 27, 2015. Howard was a true leader for the City of Boston  who cared for all Boston, and he will truly be missed.

Please click here to read tributes and remembrances to Howard, and to leave personal messages.

Funeral services and burial are private at the request of the family. A public Memorial Service for Howard’s friends and colleagues will be announced shortly.

After the candidates’ forum on Monday, October 19, the committee met and voted the following endorsements. All were subsequently elected to the Boston City Council on November 3.

For Councillor-at-Large:

• Annissa Essaibi-George
• Ayanna Pressley
• Michelle Wu

For District City Couincillor:

• Ward 4: Andrea Campbell
• Ward 6: Matt O’Malley

The Ward 19 Democratic Committee, at its the July 6, 2015 meeting, voted to support the We The People Act, and to commit to activities to further passage of the act.

The We the People Act is a joint resolution pending in the Massachusetts legislature, introduced by Sen. James Eldridge and Rep. Cory Atkins, that does two things:

• First, it calls on Congress to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution asserting that
  1. the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons, i.e. human individuals, only and
  2. Congress and the states shall place limits on political contributions and expenditures to ensure that all citizens have access to the political process, and the spending of money to influence elections is not protected free speech under the First Amendment

• Second, if Congress fails to propose such an amendment within six months, the We the People Act puts Massachusetts on record calling for a convention of the states for the purpose of proposing the amendment.

For full details, please visit http://www.wethepeoplemass.org.