As spring shades into summer, we will gather together for our next CDCC meeting on June 12 and turn our eyes to the upcoming election, with a particular focus on ballot initiatives here in Massachusetts!

We are delighted to have speakers joining us from Raise Up Massachusetts to discuss the Fair Share Amendment as well as paid leave and minimum wage initiatives, and from Freedom for All Massachusetts, seeking to protect the state's transgender nondiscrimination law.

We will also make our action concrete by taking up the CDCC budget for the coming year.

Ward 7 folks — note that there will be a Ward 7 meeting at 6:30 before the main meeting.

When and Where:

Tuesday, June 12 at 7:00pm (wards may meet at 6:30)
Cambridge Citywide Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave.

Agenda:

I. Approve minutes of previous meeting
II. Officer reports
III. Budget discussion and approval
IV. New business
V. Program — Ballot Initiatives
VI. Announcements
VII. Adjourn

Ahh, Spring — the season of renewal and rebirth!

For the CDCC, it is also the season of reorganization, so our next meeting on April 5 will be our annual reorganization meeting! We will hold officer elections for the positions of Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Affirmative Action & Outreach Advisor. Not only are CDCC members eligible to vote in these elections, but we encourage all interested members to run for an officer position!

We will also consider several resolutions, proposed by CDCC members, concerning ranked choice voting, national delegate selection reform, gender and racial parity in elected office in Massachusetts, and support for the establishment of a Presidential Debate Commission.

When and Where:

Thursday, April 5 at 7:00 PM (wards may meet at 6:30)
Lesley University:
University Hall Amphitheater, 1815 Mass. Ave. (Porter Sq.)
Note: No food is allowed in the auditorium, but there is an atrium area with seating just outside where you can eat pizza before the meeting.

Agenda:

I.    Approve minutes of previous meeting
II.   Officer reports
III.  Election rules and procedures
IV.   CDCC Reorganization: Officer elections
V.    New Business, including consideration of resolutions
VII.  Announcements
VIII. Adjourn

The Cambridge Democratic City Committee will meet on Thursday, February 22, 2018 to fulfill one of our most important functions — we will select three ranked choices for a four-year term on the Cambridge Election Commission. The city manager will choose the next election commissioner from this list.

We have four candidates this year. In alphabetical order, they are:

Patrick Barton
Victoria Harris
Gary Mello
Tom Stohlman

The questionnaire and the responses submitted by these applicants are available as PDF files:

2018 Questionnaire for Candidates for Election Commissioner
Barton Responses
Harris Responses, Harris Resume
Mello Responses
Stohlman Responses

We are also pleased to have as our speaker Adam Friedman, Executive Director of Voter Choice Massachusetts.

Adam, joined by fellow Voter Choice Massachusetts leadership members Howie Fain and Jim Henderson, will discuss the campaign to bring Ranked Choice Voting to Massachusetts.

Where and When:

Thursday, February 22 at 7:00pm (wards may meet at 6:30)
Cambridge Citywide Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave.

Agenda:

I. Approve minutes of previous meeting
II. Officer reports
III. Report of the Voting Sub-Committee
IV. Selection of Election Commissioner candidates
V. Program: Adam Friedman, Voter Choice Massachusetts
VI. Announcements
VII. Adjourn

Upcoming:

Thurs. April 5 — CDCC Annual Meeting and Officer Elections

Cambridge Democrats will hold caucuses throughout the month of February to elect delegates to the 2018 Massachusetts Democratic Convention. The convention will be held June 1 and 2 at the DSC Center in Worcester, where Democrats from across Massachusetts will meet to decide which statewide candidates for governor and the other constitutional offices will be on the Democratic ticket in the 2018 Primary Election in September. The convention also gives delegates the chance to meet fellow activists, hear from elected officials, discuss issues, and attend trainings.

Caucus Locations and Times

To find out what ward you live in, visit www.wheredoivotema.com (MA Secretary of State site).

The fine print: Delegates will be equally divided between women and men. Youth, minorities, and people with disabilities who are not elected as delegates or alternates may apply to be "add on" delegates. Discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, disability, religion, ethnic identity, sexual orientation or economic status in the conduct of the caucus is prohibited. All caucus locations are handicapped-accessible. Details on the rules can be found at https://massdems.org/convention/2018-convention under "Method for Selecting Delegates."
For disability-related accommodations or other information about the Cambridge caucuses, contact Chair Brian Corr at 617-254-8331 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..