Showing posts with label Local. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Local. Show all posts

CSfC Becomes a Chapter of Progressive Mass

Born out of the 2008 Obama campaign, Cambridge-Somerville for Change has been organizing for the past four and a half years to help elect progressives to office and pass progressive policies at the state and national level.  We have had great success, winning most of the elections we worked on (from Patrick in 2010 to Obama and Warren in 2012 to Ed Markey just last week), and even won some issue campaigns as well (starting with the 2010 health care reform).  Cambridge and Somerville are full of dedicated progressive activists, and CSfC's 1,000+ members are among the most dedicated.  Yet despite this capacity, the CSfC steering committee has felt that by working independently of any state or national organization, we limited our ability to have a broader impact.  For this reason, in May of 2013 we proposed that CSfC become the Cambridge and Somerville chapter of Progressive Massachusetts... and CSfC members voted to approve this proposal!
The Democratic Caucuses in Cambridge and Somerville are taking place over the next week.

Cambridge and Somerville wards will be electing their delegates to the 2012 Democratic State Convention, which will take at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts on June 2nd, 2012. This is sure to be an exciting convention where we will pick our nominee for the U.S. Senate to run against Republican Senator Scott Brown. Before a candidate can be placed on the September Primary ballot they have to get the support of 15% of the State Convention Delegates and 51% to get the endorsement of the convention. But in order Linkto go to the convention, you need to be elected.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2012 Caucuses.


Cambridge City Council Forum on Energy & Environmental Issues - Wednesday, Nov. 2nd at 6:30 PM
Green Cambridge, formerly known as Green Decade/Cambridge, is again organizing an Energy and Environmental Issues Candidate's Night for this year's city council race.  Cambridge Somerville for Change is a co-sponsor of this event, which will take place on November 2nd at 6:30 pm at the YMCA Theatre in Central Square.  Please join us to learn more about the positions each of the candidates is taking on these important issues.

2010 Post-Election Celebration

Thanks to everyone who came down to the Precinct in Union Square to help us celebrate progressive victories in 2010.

There's a lot more work to do this year and we're excited to have such a great group of activists to work with.

You can check out photos of the event on our Facebook page (whether or not you use Facebook).

Amazing Somerville Canvass

Today the Deval Patrick/Tim Murray campaign, Organizing for America, and Democrats around the state held a state-wide canvass.  In Somerville, CSfC worked closely with the Patrick/Murray campaign to knock on doors in Winter Hill.  We had a great response, with many supporters identified.  In the Mystic Public Housing Community, several canvassers focused on registering new voters and encouraging registered voters to vote on November 2nd.  For enthusiasts, we had the additional draw of a rally with the President next Saturday in Boston.

The voters are out there, we just need to reach out to them.  We'll be canvassing again tomorrow, and next weekend, and making calls all week. Sign up here to get involved: http://bit.ly/CSDems2010

Smulowitz and Ross Mini-Debate on WBZ today

WBZ hosted a brief interview with Peter Smulowitz and Richard Ross this afternoon. You can watch the video at WBZ's web site. CSfC is supporting Peter Smulowitz for state senate in the special election coming up on Tuesday. Join us tonight for a phone bank in Harvard Square from 6:00 to 8:30 PM.

CSfC Supports Peter Smulowitz for MA State Senate

The membership has voted and we're pitching in to turn Scott Brown's long-held State Senate seat Blue by supporting progressive Democrat, physician, and first-time candidate Peter Smulowitz.





The Boston Globe endorsed Dr. Smulowitz today, praising his "refreshing willingness to challenge established political figures."

Election Day is just 4 days away! Below is the schedule of events between now and Tuesday, including phone banks in and near Cambridge and Somerville, as well as door-to-door canvasses in the senate district. Note that CSfC is hosting a phone bank at HUCTW in Harvard Square on Sunday night, from 6-8:30pm (sign up here). Please sign up for all events by clicking on the RSVP links, below.

Please spread the word by joining Peter Smulowitz's Facebook page and please forward this message to anyone you think might be interested in helping out.


SUNDAY, MAY 9

Phone Banks:
Cambridge-Somerville for Change, 6pm-8:30pm
HUCTW, 15 Mt. Auburn St., Harvard Square

Mass Dems, noon -
Mass. Democratic Party Headquarters, 56 Roland St., Charlestown
Canvass:
Smulowitz Campaign, 10am - 6pm
Smulowitz Campaign HQ, 56 Pickering St., Needham


MONDAY, MAY 10

Phone Bank:
Mass Dems, 10am -
Mass. Democratic Party Headquarters, 56 Roland St., Charlestown


TUESDAY, ELECTION DAY, MAY 11

Phone Bank
Mass Dems, 10am - 8pm
Mass. Democratic Party Headquarters, 56 Roland St., Charlestown

Canvass
Smulowitz Campaign, 6am-8pm
Smulowitz Campaign HQ, 56 Pickering St., Needham

Meet Your Neighbors Today - Join Our Election Day Canvass

Today is election day; be sure to vote!

The Coakley campaign and Organizing for America have made over two million calls in the last four days, and we'll make many more on election day. But out-of-state supporters can't knock on doors and talk to voters face to face. You can.

After you vote, come out to help at our Cambridge (45 Mt. Auburn St.) or Somerville (19 College Ave.) headquarters. We will be knocking on doors and calling voters, especially in the afternoon when people are getting home from work, right up until the polls close at 8PM.

Pulling Out All the Stops

In just three days Massachusetts voters will go to the polls to elect a new US Senator. It's hard to imagine a vote cast in the Commonwealth that will have a greater impact on national politics.

This is a great time to volunteer for a political campaign - the race is close and the stakes are high. With partners in our communities we've put together 59 events in the next three days.
Let's have some fun.

Somerville GOTV events

Energy and Climate Issues in Cambridge and in the Senate Race

As the Senate continues its tug of war over health care, the world prepares for the next United Nations conference on climate change in Copenhagen. With this in mind, the City of Cambridge, led by Mayor Denise Simmons and Councilor Henrietta Davis, are putting together a Cambridge Climate Congress. The Congress, which will take place at City Hall on both December 12th and January 23rd, will seek to find a way that Cambridge can take a leadership role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and driving citizen action on climate change. We encourage you to take a look at the Congress if you are in Cambridge and seek out opportunities to get involved. Cambridge-Somerville for Change will be monitoring the event and posting more about it in the weeks ahead.

Also, the Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary is coming up on December 8th. We encourage you to read over the energy and environmental plans that Michael Capuano, Martha Coakley, Alan Khazei, and Steve Pagliuca. While the economy, health care, and Afghanistan have been at the center of the campaign, the next Senator from Massachusetts will have a unique opportunity to push legislation to reduce global warming pollution and create green jobs.

Local candidates answer questions about YOUR issues

Cambridge and Somerville citywide elections are taking place on Tuesday Nov 3rd, and in the words attributed to a local political luminary, Tip O'Neil, Jr.: "All politics is local." In his autobiography, Man of the House, Tip wrote that these were actually the words of his father, who shared this wisdom with his son on the only election loss in his son's lifetime--a run for the Cambridge City Council. Had Tip lived only a few short blocks from where he did, it could have been the Somerville Aldermanic race that he lost.

In the spirit of all politics being local, we urge you to vote November 3rd and take the time to vote for those who best represent you and your issues. Elections on the city level are just as important for change as those nationwide so please make your voice heard.

In order to help you make you final election decisions, we sent a survey to Cambridge City Council candidates and Somerville Alderman candidates. Our brief questions focused on two of our membership campaign interests - climate and energy, and transportation. Attached are links showing the answers provided by our local candidates. Please take a minute to see where your candidates stand in this election season.


CAMBRIDGE and SOMERVILLE CANDIDATE SURVEYS
Cambridge City Council Candidates Answers - 11 out of 21 candidates responded
Somerville Alderman Candidate Answers - 4 candidates responded


ELECTION INFORMATION
Click for information on voting in Cambridge and Somerville .

WHERE DO I VOTE?
Click HERE to find out your voting location.

Poll Hours:
Cambridge - 7am - 8pm
Somerville - 7am - 8pm

Cambridge City Council Canditates Forum on Environmental Issues: Tuesday, October 13th

Over the past few months, Cambridge-Somerville for Change has put together a team focusing solely on Energy and Climate issues. Our goals are to help push for a strong national bill to reduce global warming pollution and to engage with community efforts to reduce energy use and increase clean sources of energy, locally and globally.

As part of this effort, we are co-sponsoring a Cambridge City Council Candidates Forum on environmental and energy issues. This is the only public forum for the candidates to debate and discuss their views on environmental issues in the city and we hope that you will consider attending. It is important for city government to represent the concerns of the citizens and this forum will be a good way to find out where your city councillors stand on these issues.

The event, led by Green Decade Cambridge, will take place next Tuesday, October 13th at 6:30 at the Cambridge Citywide Senior Center (806 Massachusetts Avenue, near Central Square). There will be three separate panels, each running about 45 minutes for candidates to discuss their views. More about the event can be found here.

And even if you can't attend, please consider coming to one of our future planning meetings. We will be discussing ways to ensure Congress enacts a strong bill to curb global warming pollution and promote energy efficiency. Just send a quick note to energy@cambridgesomervilleforchange.com if you'd like to learn more.

Cambridge City Council Climate Energy Hearing Next Week

On behalf of the Energy and Climate Team, we would like to invite you to attend a Cambridge City Council hearing on the Climate Emergency next Thursday, September 24th. The hearing will take place at Cambridge City Hall (795 Massachusetts Avenue) at 5:30 pm. The city council has recognized that global warming is an emergency and this will be an opportunity to learn from leading scientists about steps the city can take to prepare for and mitigate climate change. More information can be found at http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddk6hj4t_41g3p6fjqt.

Also, please come to the Energy and Climate Team meeting this Wednesday at 7:00 pm. We'll be hearing from an aide to Senator John Kerry about upcoming national global warming legislation and planning future actions. If you would like to come, please click here for directions.

An Exciting Weekend for Change!

Delegates from around the state will be converging on Springfield this weekend for the 2009 Massachusetts State Democratic Convention. It has been an historic year for Democrats and this convention will be a time to celebrate our recent successes and begin thinking about the party’s future.

This year’s convention is an exciting and important one. David Plouffe, Obama’s presidential campaign manager, will be the keynote speaker and the most anticipated guest of the weekend. Delegates will be discussing and voting to approve the Platform that will guide the Party for the next four years. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to attend workshops with topics ranging from community organizing to creating campaign strategies to the world of electronic communications.

Cambridge Somerville for Change would like to congratulate delegates from all over the state and especially those chosen to represent Cambridge and Somerville. We are pleased that a number of delegates from the area are also CSfC members. Check back here for their reflections on the opportunities presented at the convention and how they fit into the needs of our community. We look forward to taking the lessons learned at the convention and applying them to our work at Cambridge Somerville for Change.

Live-blogging the Grassroots Organizing Forum

Even if you can't be at the Grassroots Organizing Forum, we are live-blogging the event. Go to www.massforchange.com to follow the action!

Here are a few snippets from the stream:
9:21 AM: John Walsh: "We may be crazy, but I think we're crazy like a fox because of the way things are going."

...

9:27 AM: Mitch Stewart: Barack Obama's message was about hope and change. Here's an example of how that came true. The President brought together six groups in health care and they committed to saving $2 trillion in health care costs.

...

9:33 AM: Mitch Stewart: We've done 228 listening tours. This is the largest yet.

Should We Support State Ethics Reform?

Response needed by midnight, April 1.

We hosted a forum on ethics reform with Common Cause on March 8. Those who attended want to take action. What do you think CSfC should do? Take the poll at the top of the page to let us know what you think.

In a year when House Speaker Sal DiMasi resigned amidst ethics investigations and State Senator Dianne Wilkerson resigned and was charged with bribery, Governor Patrick filed reform legislation to close major gaps in ethics and lobbying laws. On Thursday the House passed a bill that weakened two key parts of the Governor's package but added important campaign disclosure requirements. Now it goes to the Senate.

Both the Governor's proposal and the one passed Thursday (House Bill 3853) do the following:
  • Expand the Secretary of State's, Attorney General's, and Ethics Commission's authority to enforce lobbying and conflict of interest laws
  • Increase penalties for lobbying and conflict of interest violations
  • Define "lobbying," increase reporting by lobbyists, expand restrictions to the executive branch and increase the amount of information available online about lobbying activities
  • Give the Attorney General greater investigative tools, including power to convene statewide public corruption grand juries
But:
  • The Governor wanted to change state law to prohibit gifts given for or because of an "official position" (existing law requires linkage to a specific act). The House version prohibits such gifts only if done "knowingly."
  • The Governor also wanted to give the Attorney General power to record conversations in public corruption investigations, with judicial approval; the House bill omits this provision.
For more detail, check out: Governor Deval Patrick’s Task Force on Public Integrity. House Bill 3853 (as passed) is not online yet; the version filed on March 25 can be found here: http://www.mass.gov/legis/hbillsrch.htm.

Tell Your Elected Officials You Support The Governor’s Ethics Package

After a year in which former House Speaker Sal DiMasi resigned amidst investigations of lobbyist-friends and State Senator Dianne Wilkerson resigned and was charged with bribery, Governor Deval Patrick filed reform legislation designed to close major gaps in the enforcement of ethics and lobbying laws. We want to hear whether you support the Governor's proposals.

The proposal includes the following reforms:
  • Expands the Secretary of State's and Attorney General's authority to enforce lobbying laws, and the Ethics Commission's authority to enforce conflict of interest laws
  • Defines "lobbying," increases reporting by lobbyists, expands "revolving door" restrictions to the executive branch and increases the amount of information available online about lobbying activities
  • Changes state law to prohibit gifts given for or because of an "official position" (existing law requires linkage to a specific act)
  • Gives the Attorney General greater investigative tools, including power to convene statewide public corruption grand juries and record conversations in such investigation with judicial approval
  • Increases penalties for lobbying and conflict of interest violations

If you support the Governor’s ethics package, please contact your legislators and let them know. The time for action is now as a decision is expected in the immediate future. A sample letter is below, along with instructions on how to contact your elected officials. Feel free to add your own personal story to your letter.

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear _________________________:

Re: House #95 - Governor's Public Integrity Task Force's Recommendations for Ethics & Lobbying Reform

In the past months, I have become deeply upset by the repeated ethical lapses of public officials in Massachusetts. This goes beyond isolated incidents and needs to be addressed comprehensively.

I encourage you and the other members of the General Court to act swiftly in passing Governor Patrick's ethics and lobbying bill (House #95) in order to halt the erosion of faith in government. The bill was prepared and recommended in January by the bipartisan and highly qualified Task Force on Public Integrity.

With so many challenges facing the Commonwealth, it is important that you send a clear message that you and your colleagues intend to serve the public's interest and that you will empower the existing agencies with necessary tools to investigate and appropriately punish those who do not.

Sincerely,
Your Name

HOW TO SEND YOUR LETTER:
  1. Click here to who your senator and representatives are.
  2. Send an email letter to your senator and representatives (email addresses below)
  3. Print and send a copy of your letter to the following individuals as well:
Therese Murray, Senate President
State House, Room 330
Boston, MA 02133

Senator Frederick Berry
Chairman, Senate Ethics & Rules Committee
State House, Room 333
Boston, MA 02133

Robert A. DeLeo, House Speaker
State House, Room 356
Boston, MA 02133

Representative Peter Kocot
Chairman, House Ethics Committee
State House, Room 473F
Boston, MA 02133

Representatives:
William Brownsberger
Rep.WilliamBrownsberger@Hou.State.MA.US

Jonathan Hecht
Rep.JonathanHecht@Hou.State.MA.US

Denise Provost
Rep.DeniseProvost@Hou.State.MA.US

Byron Rushing
Rep.ByronRushing@Hou.State.MA.US

Carl Sciortino
Rep.CarlSciortino@Hou.State.MA.US

Timothy Toomey, Jr.
Rep.TimothyToomey@Hou.State.MA.US

Martha M. Walz
Rep.MarthaWalz@Hou.State.MA.US

Alice K. Wolf
Rep.AliceWolf@Hou.State.MA.US

Senators:
Anthony D. Gallucio
Anthony.Galluccio@state.ma.us

Anthony Petruccelli
Anthony.Petrucelli@state.ma.us

Steven A. Tolman
Steven.Tolman@state.ma.us

Patricia D. Jehlen
Patricia.Jehlen@state.ma.us

Help Build the Democratic Party Platform: March 4, 2009

Massachusetts Democratic Party Platform Hearing
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
6:00-8:00 p.m.


The 2009 Massachusetts Democratic Convention is just around the corner. This year's convention is a historic opportunity to focus Massachusetts Democrats on who we are and what we stand for.

The 2009 Platform will be crafted similarly to the 2008 National Convention. You are invited to share your ideas regarding the Democratic Party Platform at the local meeting hosted by the Cambridge Democratic City Committee and the Somerville Democratic City Committee. All testimony received by deadline will be posted on the MassDems website for all to access and comment on. The goal is to make the drafting of the platform as inclusive and transparent as possible.

Your voice is needed! Please join us in having a say in our party platform for 2009.

The Platform Drafting Committee is working on:

1) A summary of our values and principles;
2) A summary of positions on priority issues; and
3) An online, comprehensive list of all testimony and feedback given during the hearings.

Testimony given at this event will be recorded and transcribed for web publication. Platform hearing participants must indicate their party affiliation. Anonymous testimony will be accepted, but will be regarded as such. To read the current Party Platform, go to www.massdems.org/about/platform.cfm.

Massachusetts Democratic Party Platform Hearing

Wednesday, March 4, 2009
6:00-8:00 p.m.


George Dilboy Hall VFW Post
Davis Square
371 Summer St.
Somerville, Ma 02144

If you have any question please contact the event organizer: State Committeeman Mushtaque A. Mirza at 617-876-4267.

Updated Somerville Caucus Information

The Somerville Ward 6 Democratic Caucus has been changed to Saturday, February 7 at 10:30am at Ciampa Manor.

Somerville Ward 5 Democractic Caucus will be held on Thursday, February 5 at 8pm at the Argenziano School on Washington Street.

ALL OTHER Ward Caucuses in Somerville will be held on Thursday, February 5 at 7pm at the Argenziano School on Washington Street.

The Somerville Ward Caucuses will elect delegates to the 2009 State Convention, where the party's platform is formally approved. David Plouffe is scheduled to be this year's keynote speaker. To find out which ward you live in, click here.

Which Ward Do I Live In?

If you are planning on attending the Cambridge and Somerville caucuses in the next two weeks, you will need to know which ward you live in.
  1. Go to http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php.
  2. Enter your address.
  3. Click on Find My Election Information.
  4. Your ward and precinct number are listed on the resulting page under Where Do I Vote.

About

Cambridge-Somerville for Change is an all-volunteer community group dedicated to harnessing the grassroots energy and spirit of change inspired by the Obama campaign. Our organizing work includes electoral and issue-based campaigns at the local, state, and national level. Our members have chosen to work on promoting economic fairness, comprehensive health care reform, creating policies that conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide for fair and adequate access to public transportation, and promoting in-state tuition for immigrant youth.

This is an organization built by and for you, the community, and we look forward to your participation and feedback. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions about getting involved, please email
info@ cambridgesomervilleforchange.com
or call us at
(617) 302-7324.

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