South Hadley Democratic Caucus, February 11, 2012

SOUTH HADLEY DEMOCRATS WILL HOLD CAUCUS TO SELECT 2012 CONVENTION DELEGATES
FEBRUARY 11, 2012 AT 1:00PM AT SOUTH HADLEY TOWN HALL

Registered Democrats in South Hadley will hold a caucus at South Hadley Town Hall on Saturday, February 11, 2012, to elect nine delegates (four male; four female; 1 either) and one alternate to the 2012 Massachusetts Democratic Convention. Registration begins at 12:30 and closes at 1:00 p.m. at which time the caucus will begin.

The caucus is open to all registered Democrats in South Hadley, and the South Hadley Democratic Town Committee warmly welcomes participants. Candidates for delegate and alternate must consent to nomination in writing and must be present at the caucus. In the spirit of inclusion, youth, minorities, and people with disabilities who are not elected as delegates or alternates may apply to be “add-on” delegates.

The Convention will be held on Saturday, June 2nd at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield.

South Hadley Democratic Town Committee normally meets on a monthly basis, and meeting dates, time and location are posted at the Town website. For more information about the committee and its work, please contact SH DTC Chair Sarah Etelman (413-570-0715; SarahSHDTC@gmail.com) or Vice-Chair Ann Eaton (413-533-0346; anneaton@earthlink.net).

Nomination papers available for elected positions

Nomination papers are available for any voter wishing to be on the ballot for the March 6th South Hadley Town Election. The deadline to return nomination papers to the Town Clerk’s Office is January 17th.
http://southhadley.org/Pages/SouthHadleyMA_News/034CB4BE-000F8513

Sen. Stanley Rosenberg to speak in South Hadley about redistricting

Wednesday, July 27, 2011
By Patricia Cahill, The Republican

SOUTH HADLEY - State Senator Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, will discuss the redistricting of Massachusetts, on July 28 at 7:30 p.m. at South Hadley Town Hall, 116 Main St.

The number of congressmen who represent any state depends on the population of that state. There are 10 congressional districts now in Massachusetts. Two of them are in Western Massachusetts.

But, according to the last U.S. Census, the population of Massachusetts isn't that strong.

"It grew," said Rosenberg, "but not as much as the rest of the country."

That means fewer congressmen to look out for the interests of the commonwealth.

And, since Western Massachusetts was more sluggish in population growth than the rest of the state - it actually lost residents in the Berkshires and in Franklin County - that spells trouble.

Rosenberg, who co-chaired the Joint Committee on Redistricting, is among those who have been fighting for Western Massachusetts to keep its two congressional districts.

U.S. Rep. John Olver, D-Amherst, and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, have long represented the two districts of Western Massachusetts. Now it's looking like one of them will go.

There are many reasons why that will hurt Western Massachusetts, said Sarah Etelman, chairwoman of the Democratic Town Committee in South Hadley.

"Geographically, we're half the state," said Etelman of Western Massachusetts. "To have one person covering half the state would be a huge detriment to our part of the state.

"Congressmen need to travel when they talk to their constituents. It's a ridiculous amount of territory for one person," she said.

"There are a lot of implications," said Rosenberg. "Other communities might trump their requests."

It would also present the surviving congressman with a vast variety of people to represent. Usually districts are formed on the basis of what the people in them have in common.

It's not a good balance when small communities are lumped in with larger communities, said Rosenberg.

Since both Olver and Neal are senior members of the House, the loss is even greater, said Etelman. "Their seniority also impacts our voice and our strength," she said.

Even though it's late in the process, the talk by Rosenberg will help answer questions about what's ahead, said Etelman.

"It's an important issue," she said, "and it's important for people in Western Massachusetts to understand what it means."

The event is sponsored by the South Hadley Democratic Town Committee.

Senator Kerry visits South Hadley Democratic Caucus

The South Hadley Democrats elected 10 delegates today to send to the Massachusetts State Convention in June. Before the election, we were visited by Senator Kerry, who had a great dialogue with the Democrats present!

South Hadley Democrats Welcome All Residents to Help Elect Democrats on November 2

South Hadley Democratic Town Committee
P.O. Box 308
South Hadley MA 01075

Date: October 12, 2010 for Immediate Release
Contacts: Sarah Etelman at setelman@gmail.com or Ann Eaton at (413) 533-0346

South Hadley Democrats Welcome All Residents
to Help Elect Democrats on November 2

South Hadley, MA – The South Hadley Democratic Town Committee announced today that all residents of South Hadley are welcome to help elect Governor Deval Patrick, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, and other Democrats who will be on the ballot on Tuesday, November 2.

Sarah Etelman, Chairwoman of the Committee, said, “Gov. Patrick and Lt. Gov. Murray are working hard to create jobs, improve education, extend health insurance, and invest in clean energy and the life sciences. They deserve to be reelected.”
In October, Committee members are supporting Patrick’s reelection by holding signs, making phone calls, and sending postcards. They welcome all S. Hadley residents to become involved in the campaign.

According to Ann Eaton, the Committee’s Vice-Chair, “Massachusetts is coming out of this recession faster and stronger than other states, because of Gov. Patrick’s leadership.”

Etelman said that the South Hadley Committee is one of the strongest in western Massachusetts and that many of its members are also supporting Steve Grossman for State Treasurer, Suzanne Bump for State Auditor, and Congressman Richard Neal, among other candidates. Many Committee members also oppose one or more of the three ballot questions that will be on the ballot.

According to Eaton, “The Town Committee meets regularly during the year and we welcome any resident to attend a meeting to find out more about the Committee, with no obligation.”

Besides its campaign work, Committee members are involved in community service work in South Hadley and serve on many town boards and commissions. More information is available at http://southhadleydemocrats.blogspot.com.

Any resident who wants to get involved in the campaign should send an email to Sarah Etelman at setelman@gmail.com or phone Ann Eaton at 413-533-0346.

The South Hadley Democratic Town Committee is officially recognized by the Massachusetts Democratic Party, which in turn is recognized by the Democratic National Committee.

Afternoon with Progressive Champions

Our Easthampton Democratic Town Committee colleague Joe McCoy is hosting a fundraiser for Mass Alliance on Saturday, July 31st, from 3-5 p.m. For additional information about this event, please go to the events page at Mass Alliance.

"Restorative Justice" in South Hadley - May 5 at 7 pm

Absolutely! The more the merrier! See you then, Bob. Emily

From: BobJudge@comcast.net">BobJudge@comcast.net
Date: Mon, 3 May 2010 14:12:15 -0400
Subject: Re: Task Force invite
To: empritch@hotmail.com

Emily:

I will attend on May 5. May I invite someone who I think would be interested?

- Bob Judge
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 2:02 PM, Emily Pritchard wrote:

...You are all invited (Tanya can elaborate more...) to join an action group that is newly born! We are called "Count Me In" as of now and we are committed to on-going action that will develop events through out the year for South Hadley community members to work with in a "Restorative Justice" healing model.

The goal is to create a forum for people to be seen and heard - much like our group now, and active and engaging events to work on healing and growth organized with the value framework outlined in Restorative Justice (forgiveness, accountability, respect...) We need people who want to continue this work and put it into action in the community. This will look like whatever YOU can design and inspire us with! Please come and bring a friend...The next meeting is this Wednesday, May 5th at 7pm at the All Saints' Church in the commons. Excited to work with you all and really inspired by your dedication to being positive transformation! Look at us making a difference! Thanks for reading,call or email with any questions.

Emily Pritchard (SHHS Special Ed. teacher)538 5063 ext 4602
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:18:16 -0400Subject: Minutes of 4/12 Meeting
From: amdfoley@gmail.com" amdfoley@gmail.com