From Gus Bickford, Chair, Massachusetts Democratic Party, (617) 939-0800

Since the announcement of our Massachusetts Resistance Summer initiative, we have solicited input from several of State Party subcommittees, formed Youth Advisory and Activist Advisory councils, and brought on a new Resistance Organizing Fellow, Lindsay Kenney. Earlier this month, we joined 125 Democratic organizers from across the nation at the DNC Resistance Summer conference in Washington D.C. and collaborated on ways to organize and win through grassroots initiatives.

Through these collaborative efforts, we are proud to launch a Massachusetts Resistance Summer program that channels the energy we have seen since Election Day and is focused on engaging and activating Democratic stakeholders and activists from across the Commonwealth.  We will continue to solicit input and feedback on our program to ensure we are united, as a Party, throughout the process.

This Saturday we will engage in our first day of Grassroots Action in Lynn.  State Senator and former Party Chair Tom McGee is running for Mayor against a Republican incumbent and we will be knocking on doors in the neighborhoods surrounding the McGee for Mayor Campaign headquarters (47 Myrtle Street) this Saturday, July 15 at 10 a.m. Let us know if you can make it by signing up here. Also, please share this information with your networks.

Also on the horizon is the special election for the Fourth Middlesex State Senate District, where Democratic nominee Cindy Friedman is running for the seat formerly held by the late Senator Ken Donnelly. Cindy will need our help heading into GOTV weekend and Election Day on Tuesday, July 25th. Click here to sign up to volunteer to make calls or canvass over the next two weeks for Cindy. Join us for:

• Phonebanking next Tuesday, July 18 at Friedman Campaign headquarters (1306 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington) from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• GOTV Weekend July 22 – July 24 at Friedman Campaign headquarters (phonebanking and GOTV Door Hanger Shifts starting at 11:00 a.m. with shifts as late as 5:00 p.m.)
• Fourth Middlesex Special General Election Tuesday, July 25th (shifts starting at 12:00 p.m. with shifts as late as 6 p.m.)

These are the first of many grassroots campaign activities we will be helping to organize as part of Resistance Summer. Many of you have been organizing tirelessly already, and we know that organizing starts with you. To connect with other activists in your area or post an event to our calendar, please visit www.resistma.com. We will be using this site to engage activists with organizations in their area, publicize events and updates and support progressive activism throughout the Commonwealth.

Finally, the Resolutions Subcommittee will be hosting a hearing on submitted resolutions on Monday, August 28th at 6 p.m. at the Plumbers Local 12 hall (1240 Massachusetts Avenue, Dorchester 02125). The resolutions that will be taken up will be posted online ahead of the hearing. Those in attendance that are interested in testifying in favor or against a resolution will be given 2 minutes to do so and must sign in upon arrival.

At its May 18 meeting, the Arlington Democratic Town Committee voted unanimously in favor of a resolution supporting automatic voter registration legislation. Eight states and the District of Columbia now have automatic voter registration. For more information, see the Automatic Voter Registration Fact Sheet (slightly out of date) and a short summary of the bill. See the information about the Senate bill for full details.

On a wet, windy night, dedicated Democrats from Arlington, Lexington, and other towns waited in line at Town Hall April 25 to weigh in on the state party platform.

For more information, see http://massdems.org/media/press-releases/568-massachusetts-democratic-party-announces-platform-hearings.

We sorely miss our great State Senator Ken Donnelly, who died April 2 and whose funeral service was April 8. Our deepest sympathies go to his family.

The Donnelly family suggests donations in his memory can be made to:

• Arlington Youth Counseling Center (AYCC), 670 R Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, MA 02476
• Appalachian Mountain Club Youth Opportunities Program, 5 Joy St., Boston, MA, 02108
• Greater Boston Legal Services, 197 Friend St., Boston, MA, 02114

Special State Senate Election Information

The Secretary of State has scheduled the special election to fill the Senate seat left vacant by our loss of Sen. Donnelly. The primary will be Tuesday, June 27, and the general election will be Tuesday, July 25. See the Secretary of State’s special elections page for details.

Arlington Democrats held a caucus February 11 at the Arlington Senior Center to elect 37 delegates to the 2017 Massachusetts Democratic Convention.

Elected as delegates were Adam Badik, Sidi Belkziz, Bruce Bergman, Robin Bergman, Lynn Bishop, Shane Blundell, Colin Bunnell, Stuart Cleinman, Maureen Crewe, Mary Cummings, Gregory Dennis, Wilford Durbin, Catherine Farrell, William Gardiner, Mel Goldsipe, Deborah Goldsmith, Naomi Greenfield, David Greenwold, Pamela Hallett, Gwenyth Hooper, Christa Kelleher, Troy Lintz, Jeffrey Maxtutis, Richard McElroy, Pearl Morrison, Amy Pearsall, Maura Pfeifer, Rebecca Riccio, Mark Rosenthal, Paul Schlichtman, Nancy Strong, David Swanson, Stephanie Swanson, Alice Trexler, Jordan Weinstein, Michael Welch, and Lynn Wolfsfeld. Alternates are Vivian Berlin, Katie Garrett, and Sandra Vorce.

Aimee Coolidge, Chair of the Arlington Democrats, will serve as an ex officio delegate. Also serving as ex officio delegates are Patricia Deal, Heather Fowles, and James DiTullio, all of whom serve on the Democratic State Committee.

The Convention will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at the DCU Center in Worcester. Democrats from across the state will gather to vote on the party platform, discuss issues, and participate in training on party building, electoral techniques and issue-based organizing.

Almost 100 people came to the caucus — a record for an Arlington caucus for a non-nominating convention, we think.

Aimee Coolidge said, “The response to a Trump presidency in Arlington has served as a launch pad for Democratic activism. I’ve not seen this kind of enthusiasm by so many people new to politics. We were thrilled at the turnout for our caucus as well as the expressed interest by so many others to become involved in our work.”