Framingham Democratic Town Committee
Minutes of February 13, 2005
Held at Framingham Green from 7:00pm to 8:30pm.
Attendance
Members: Debby Blumer, Jerry Desilets, Donna Howland, Ruth Litter, Chris Lorant, Waldo Lyon, Terene Micciche, Valerie Muvley, Phil Ottaviani, Joan Rastani Norma Shulman, Alan Silver, Rochelle Sivan, Cheryl Tully Stoll, Parwez Wahid
Associate Members: Bob Edwards, Steve Robinson
Guests: Denis Black, Dennis Giombetti, A.J. Mulvey, Pam Roberts
Donna Howland presented the Treasurer’s report:
Dues of $130 received. All members for 2003-04 have paid.
There 4 members owing dues for 2004-05 (33 paid members)
There are 8 paid associate members.
No recent expenses, treasury now has $1222.14.
Norma Shulman asked the DTC to consider making a donation to the Framingham Green Tenants Association in lieu of the DTC not having to pay any fee for holding its meetings at the Green.
Suggestion was also made to make a donation to the Framingham Flag Day Celebration Committee. This suggestion would be placed on a future agenda item, as well as considering policy for making other donations.
Alan Silver suggested establishing a committee that would set the policy for making donations from DTC’s treasury. The following members were appointed to this committee:
Linda Fields
Bob Edwards
Donna Howland
Minutes for the January 30th meeting were accepted with no corrections needed.
Norma Shulman mentioned the passing of the bylaws amendments at the January meeting and thanks the members who attended that night to establish quorum making it possible to vote on the amendments. Also Norma thanked the Bylaws Committee and the Officers for their efforts in the amendment process.
Also Norma mentioned the 35 delegate positions have been filled, opportunity for Add-On delegates and alternates is available to anyone interested.
The Framingham DTC was asked to name three members to represent the DTC at the meeting of the Democratic Alliance. Norma Shulman, Valerie Mulvey and Joan Rastani were nominated by Debby Blumer and seconded by Chris Lorant.
The meeting for May has been rescheduled to May 22nd. The previous date was falling the day after the State Democratic Convention. It was felt that moving the DTC meeting to the weekend after the Convention would be preferable.
The floor was opened for nominations to fill the position of Affirmative Action and Outreach Advisor. No nominations were submitted; this agenda item will be moved to the March meeting.
Announcements:
Bob Edwards announced that he has been asked to help in the drafting of federal legislation dealing with persons suffering brain injuries. Bob stated that in this capacity he would be working to alert Congress on legislation for people with brain injuries. Also Bob added that he would like to see the Framingham DTC support better services from the state government for people with brain injuries. Bob had brought literature to hand out on this subject.
It was also mentioned the Congressman Ed Markey has worked to establish the National Commission on Sports Related Injuries.
The post-inaugural event, also called “Inaugural Bawl” as well as “Brew & Stew” was rescheduled for March 5 at the Tin Alley Grill in Framingham.
On Monday February 14 a videoconference in Maynard featuring George Lakoff, author of “Don’t Think Of An Elephant”. (Contact Kate Donaghue for more information.)
Meetups:
Feb 15 – Impeach Bush
Feb 17 – Democracy for America
Feb 28 – Democratic Alliance
Mar 8 – Democratic Party Meetup
Program:
Democratic candidates seeking position in the Town government were invited to address the assembly.
The following candidates gave presentations: Valerie Mulvey, Denis Black, Dennis Giombetti, A.J. Mulvey. Debby Blumer moderated the panel.
Valerie Mulvey is running for Town Clerk, she is unopposed. She first became Clerk in the year 2000. She described her efforts to keep her office running efficiently despite budget cuts.
Denis Black: Seeking a position on the Planning Board. He has been a Town Meeting Member, served on the Charter Commission, Zoning Board and has generally been very active in Town Government. He was a founding member of the Friends of Saxonville and President of Mills Falls Village. He is running to watch Planning Board meetings. Neighborhoods in Framingham stand to be affected by upcoming major development, impacts on traffic etc. He has previous experience to handle such issues. Denis expressed his concern for environment, conservation, open space. He has been a negotiator for unions. He is opposed by incumbent Ann Wells. If elected he hopes to bring more diversity to the Board’s voting and engage more discussions prior to voting.
Dennis Giombetti: Seeking position on Board of Selectment. He grew up in Framingham. Holds a Bachelors and Masters in Psychology and an MBA from Bentley College. He has been a Town Committee member and currently Finance Committee Chair. He would like to see:
New Style to leadership in the Town agenda, more assertive.
Be pro-active rather than re-active
Instill the notion of teamwork
He talked of forming strategic alliances, fostering trust and respect among peers. He described himself as an independent voice, taking on issues individually.
A.J. Mulvey: Candidate for Keefe Tech School Committee. Currently a Town Meeting Member. A.J. was a Division I athlete at the University of Denver, where he played lacrosse. He expressed his interest to see Keefe Tech reach its full potential so as to serve its students better.
He hopes to:
Raise expectations – students should not just succeed, but excel.
Assess “Life After Keefe” – track how students do after graduation in the job market.
Introduce 2-year exploratory program versus the current 1 year, then 3 years of trade study.
(A.J. is the son of Valerie Mulvey.)
Another candidate, John Stasik, could not attend. A prepared statement was read on his behalf by Gerard Desilets. John Stasik, a former State Rep, is seeking a position on the Board of Selectmen.
Debby Blumer mentioned the names several other candidates who were unable to participate in the program.
The candidates took questions from the members.