The next Democratic Town Committee meeting is Sunday, April 6, at 7:00 PM at Heritage.
Speaker: Kate Donaghue from the Democratic State Committee and the Convention Reform Commission will be speaking on convention reform.
Minutes – Democratic Town Committee – March 9, 2003
Called to order 7:07 PM.
MEMBERS ATTENDING: Steve Blesofsky, Debby Blumer, Pat Dunne, Bill Haberman, Esther Hopkins, Ruth Litter, Barbara Magovsky, Lyn Safian, Norma Shulman.
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS ATTENDING: Tom Mahoney, Nancy Coville Wallace.
OTHERS ATTENDING: Victoria Neeson, D. & R. Mero, Rochelle Sivan, Terrene Micciche.
MINUTES (Norma Shulman): Motion to accept January meeting minutes – approved. Noted that the meeting location announced it the minutes has since changed.
TREASURER’S REPORT (Bill Haberman): Report approved.
Cash on hand $667.87
Deposits (dues) $50.00
Interest $0.00
Subtotal $717.87
Expenses (web site) $59.75
Cash on hand 3/9/03 $658.12
As of 3/9, 3 still owe dues for last year. 11 owe dues for this year. Reminders were sent.
Old Business:
Caucus summary: Some new people attended. Held at Heritage. We still have some openings for delegates.
New Business:
Report from the MW Alliance and State Committee (Lyn Safian)
State Committee had a nice meeting in Framingham last month, the funds for the dinner were raised by the Alliance. The Alliance elected new officers. The news is about the convention in June. A committee is holding meetings around the state to gather opinions about issues and about convention procedures. The speakers who were planned for tonight would have been able to hear some of our concerns about the convention and issues. You could also try to look up the committee on the state web site.
Report from the Hill (Debby Blumer)
In lieu of a guest speaker, we had a lively discussion on the Report from the Hill. This is a sampling of the discussion:
Budget. Money. Budget. Money. House and Senate Ways & Means meeting jointly for budget hearings. They are looking at the value of surplus land for the pension fund portfolio (perhaps). Tomorrow, the hearing in Bridgewater is on the education budget. There will be a series of hearings on different parts of the budget. There will be task forces on different financial issues. Planning to have a budget before July 1. Because there is a new Governor, the budget is a month late (this happens every 4 years). Payment in lieu of taxes fund (for state-owned property) – the state may pay the commercial tax rate on the replacement value of the buildings. We have the third-highest amount of state-owned property. Our reps are monitoring this fund and education financing closely. In response to a question about the Quinn bill, Debby said the legislature wants to work on the financial problems without placing the burden on the employees and retirees (Quinn bill, health insurance, etc.). We are concerned about knowing what our local aid will be and when we will know. We discussed supporting our local town employees, but also concern about closing a library, a school, etc. We might want to have a discussion about charter schools and charter schools funding with the potential for the DTC to take a position on this. Suggested that we invite speakers on this topic for our next meeting. The Governor has chosen not to fund the Prescription Advantage program in the budget and will look for federal money to help with the program. Questions came up about buying medications from Canada. Question about how the legislature will work with the new Governor. The Governor has picked some interesting issues for cuts or reorganization, such as the President’s office of U Mass, etc. There are changes in how the reps can work, such as having to go to a liaison person instead of directly to staff in different agencies. What’s happening with casinos and slots? With tax revenues down, the doors are more open. Debby is collecting recipes made from “lemons” to publish a cookbook to put a “fun” focus on our problems (be creative, use cheap ingredients). We need a positive spin on current issues, so send Debby your recipes (email: [email protected]). The Governor promised essential services and jobs – let’s see how that goes.
More new business:
Note our new meeting location. Proposed raising the dues to cover the costs of meeting locations and other expenses. Bill noted that some members have not paid the dues for this year. We cannot require elected members to pay dues. ATTENTION: If you are interested in discussing and voting on our dues, please be sure to come to next month’s meeting.
Ruth Litter brought up the concern about the Bush appointments to the FDA, particularly Dr. Hager. Also, she brought up the shift to cash-balance pension plans, which is being made more possible by Bush administration policies. It can reduce your retirement benefit by as much as 50%. People should go to their HR department to learn more about it.
Pat Dunne suggested the Alliance bring speakers on these topics – forums on women’s health, pension funds, etc.
Announcements:
The Kerry campaign is looking for volunteers 617-367-1551 in 197 Portland Street, Boston.
Next meeting April 6 (Note: Daylight Savings – move your clock forward.)
Tom Mahoney, as a candidate for Planning Board, introduced himself and reminded all about the election. Holding a Fundraiser at the Framingham State Alumni House next Sunday, 3/16 at 11:00 – 1:00.