Meeting Attendees:  All FDC members listed, those in BOLD were present

 

Members: Lori Bornstein, Christopher Craig Broyles, Tracey Bryant, Jeanne Bullock, Stephanie Deeley, Barbara Fontes,  Kurt Fusaris, Audrey Hall, Jim Hansen, Brooke Harvey, Rosamond Hooper-Hamersley,  Tilia Klebenov Jacobs, Heather Klish, William LaBarge,  Doug Lawrence, Barbara LeDuc,  Chris Lorant, Jack Patrick Lewis, Katie Murphy, Thom Mahoney, Kathie McCarthy, Isabella Petroni, Brandale Randolph, Cindy Rubin, Margareth Shepard, Priscila Sousa, Yvonne Spicer,  Adam Steiner, Cesar Stewart-Morales, Larry Stoodt, Cynthia Villanueva, Brandon Ward, Mel Warshaw, Leslie White Harvey, Joel Winett

 

Lifetime Members: Jerry Desilets, Patrick Dunne, Linda Fields, Shahid Khan, Bettie Muto, Phil Ottaviani, Norma Shulman, John Stefanini, Cheryl Tully-Stoll, Parwez Wahid

Associate Members: Kim Comatas, David Gordon, David Magnani, Samantha McGarry, Grace Snedden, Ricardo Robles, Meghan Todd

Guests:  Alex Baush

1:10     Preliminary announcements – Doug Lawrence, Chair

• Looking for location for Sunday evening meetings, most municipal buildings are closed
• July 22 Monday night at Costin room
• Speakers-please try to plan to say 3 key points, 2 min tops
• Busy election season

1:14     Welcome and reading of FDC Mission Statement – Rozzy Hooper-Hamersley, Vice-Chair

1:15     Reports from our Legislative Delegation

Priscila:

• Worked on Community health hospital bill (MW), Revenge Porn bill, Maternal Health, Substance Abuse.
• GOP are trying to pit marginalized groups against each other (ie Migrants v Veterans)

Lewis:

• Sousa gave her first speech on Maternal health,
• Worked on Parenting Act update (even got GOP support), Substance abuse bill – if positive for opioid/recovery drugs remove notification to social services. Economic development. Veteran bills to give state benefits for dishonorable discharges for don’t ask, don’t tell and the like.

 

Barbara: Looking for update on Equity Theft bill

 

1:24     Treasurer’s Report – Larry Stoodt

Balance on 6/23 was 3343.46 which included Checks totaling $175.17 and a dividend of $0.14.

 

Motion to pay $50 for Loring, Lori, Kathie 2^nd, passed unanimously.

Motion to accept Treasurers report, passed unanimously.

1:15 – 1:20     Acceptance of Past Minutes – Lori Bornstein – May 28, 2024

Motion to accept, Rozzy, Larry 2^nd , passed unanimously.

 

1:20 – 1:50     GOTV

Speaker Alex Baush  (organizing Director for MA Dems)

Alex:

• MA tops for export to swing states
• NH Canvasses are set to go every weekend on Sat: 10,12, 2, Sun:12,2
• Phone banks are Tues, Thurs, Sat
• Volunteer recruitment calls (500 done so far)
• Debate Thursday
• Pre-debate zoom 8pm on Zoom
• Group has made 5000 calls into AZ
• Debate watch parties all over state
• 7 battle ground- NE is focused on PA, NH, ME
• Looking for High Schoolers for internships, fellowships…

Doug: Chris Lorant is organizing party at Unos in Framingham

Linda: posting on social media in anti-blue areas, refuting GOP lies

 

GOTV Committee report- Rozzy

Rozzy:

• Met 3-4 weeks ago
• 2 post card parties, Tilia & Audrey 200, Kim/Grace will do 300 more
• Tilia will host another party -TBD
• Norma will host at the library-TBD
• 600 names/addresses Ruben Gallego- postcard resisters.
• Trying to engage the community
• Gave out packages of postcoards

Lori: Fridays in Nashua for Biden

 

1:50 – 2:10      Report on Legislative Omnibus bill and environmental impacts

Larry (10 min presentation, 10 min Q&A)

 

• Some current background news (6/18 cooling centers needed in Framingham, 6/10 Haj turns deadly…)
• Let’s make and follow a bill
• Current Mass legislature has 38 days left
• Plastics Bill -S2830 bag fees, disposable takeout
• Climate Bill -S2829 (important amendments 116, 100, 14, 15, 16), please let Spilka know that you support the bill and amendments
• Nothing is going on in the MA House
• Local situation -geothermal, Opt-in Stretch code, EV conversion, heat mitigation, Charter changes-Sustainability officer
• See presentation for details

Tracey: asked for a form letter.

Patrick: Thanks Larry. Framingham is paving the way for Geothermal, but the City is lagging on Solar. We need to watch zoning board meetings

 

2:10 – 2:25     Reports from City Council, School Committee

Adam:

• Next council meeting this Tuesday at 7.
• Charter review committee will be bringing their recommendations to the council for our review. Among their many recommendations are the following:
  • Create a chief climate sustainability officer
  • Improve the budget making process
  • Increase transparency by requiring all city meetings to be posted in a central location and video recorded
• Next city election is November 2025. Now is the time to find people who might be interested in running.

 

Joel: Please put Charter questions on the November ballot.

Larry: Capital budget on agenda- start to Farley Solar funding

 

Tracey: Monday 6/24 public health and safety- need to address environment changes on health

 

2:25 – 2:30     Reports from State Dem Committee: Norma Shulman, Parwez Wahid, Kathie McCarthy

Parwez: Running for the Electoral College

• Candidates for Elector MUST notify the MassDems of their intent to run by 5pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2024by submitting this pledge of support to contact@massdems.org. Please include a CLEAR subject line indicating your intent to run for elector.
• Candidates may also submit a brief statement or biography prior to 5 p.m. on July 25, 2024 to delegate@massdems.orgthat MassDems will share with the State Committee.
• Each candidate will have the opportunity to deliver a one-minute speech during the August 3, 2024Democratic State Committee meeting. Should the election be resolved by acclamation, no speeches will be required.

 

Norma: reappointed to women’s outreach comm, new co-chair, check out FB page

Kathie: co-chair on disability outreach

2:30– 3:20       Sub – Committee Reports

Financial Audit Committee-Joel

Joel: Meeting 7/2 and looking for anyone ever on this committee.

Civics Education – Acting Ch. R. Hooper-Hamersley

Rozzy: We need a chair.

Legislative Subcommittee – Audrey Hall

Audrey:

• We need to Focus on House Speaker. Patrick is right about zoning density v affordability. Very dense but still not affordable. We eed to look locally. We need the charter on the ballot when folks are actually going to the polls in Nov.
• Planning for Oct 26 legislative breakfast
• Will check on YMCA meeting space for meetings
• Received and edited a resolution from the environmental sub-committee.

Lori: The text for the resolution will be distributed before the next meeting and put on the agenda.

Environmental – Larry Stoodt

Larry: Looking for members

Communications – Adam Steiner

Programming – Rozzy Hooper-Hamersley

Rozzy: Grace will present in July, More updates on GOTV

Bylaws – Mel Warshaw

Mel: Meeting Wednesday – please send ideas

Membership –

Trent Fortner:  been a dem since birth moved to Framingham in 2020 and wants to get involved, has worked on campaigns, lots of experience in recruitment, help grow the group

 

Mary Kate Feeney: been a member on and off for 5 years and works on many committees in Framingham and will continue to contribute on them. She wants to bring new members to the FDC and will adhere to the bylaws.

Motion to table associate member vote, Parwez, 8-8 failed

Motion to table associate member vote until September, Audrey, Cynthia 2^nd, passed 11-6

 

BBQ Committee- Formation agenda

Lori: August 24th 5-7pm Potluck at Lori’s Home, please bring your own chairs and water bottles.

Stephanie volunteered to co-chair with Rozzy

 

City Councilor Leslie: Check out Arlington St Park, Waushakum Beach closed, new bus that stops at beaches, sign up for summer reading at the library

 

Norma: next concert 7/5, post-carding, or packet pickups.

3:20 – 3:30 Announcements – from members, future events

Lori: reminder to send announcements and items you’d like to see in the minutes ahead of time to me.

3:35 Adjourn

Motion to adjourn Larry, Rozzy 2^nd , passed unanimously