Upcoming Events

SHDTC Business Meeting: Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 6:30pm in the South Hadley Library Trustee's Conference Room; there is no business meeting in December. SHDTC meetings are normally held on third Thursdays and are hybrid-online; participants may attend in-person in the Trustees Room at the Library or online via Zoom. To obtain a Zoom meeting link, to join our mailing list, or for other information about SHDTC, please email: southhadleydemocrats@gmail.com.

First Friday Breakfast Gathering: Friday, December 4, 2026 at 8:30am, Gaylord Library, 47 Newton Street, South Hadley. Conversation is casual, there is no set agenda, just a chance to talk about local, national, and international affairs and join in community with others, Democrat or not. Coffee and light snacks available (donations appreciated), and all are welcome. 

Mosier School Project Information Sessions:

• Sat, Nov 14, 10am-2pm: Special Session for Town board/committee members and employees.
  Come to Mosier School Cafeteria (101 Mosier St) between 10am and 2pm for tours of the existing school, project presentations, and QA to gain a better understanding of the project and its meaning as an investment in the town's future and the future of some of our youngest residents.
• Thur, Nov 19, 1-2pm: Understanding the Investment-A Look at Project Costs, Funding and Financial Considerations.
  Public Session from 1:00-2:00pm at South Hadley Senior Center, 45 Dayton Street. To Register, call (538-5030, ext 6200 or Press 3) or stop by in person. 
• Thur, Nov 19, 5-7pm: Public Tour and Project Info Session.
  Mosier School Cafeteria, 101 Mosier St. The event will begin with a school tour from 5–6pm, followed by a community meeting from 6–7pm with School Superintendent Jennifer Voyik and members of the project team for an updated overview of the project, with architectural renderings and key details to provide insight into the proposed design and progress to date.

Latest Updates Newsletters

Our most recent SHDTC Updates newsletter is about the origins of Veterans Day and the local events honoring those who've served the nation here and abroad. Take some time this Wednesday to remember their past and continuing service and to acknowledge the country's debt to them.

• SHDTC Updates: Veterans Day 2026-Issue 107

Just before the election, SHDTC member Jim Bosman wrote about "The Weight of One Vote," and his experience with the concept in 2019 as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

• SHDTC Updates: The Weight of One Vote-Issue 106

South Hadley Election Results

Many thanks to everyone--voters, volunteers, donors, and all who made November 3, 2026, a very good day for Democrats and democratic ideals. While there's a lot of hard work ahead to continue the promise and momentum of yesterday's election, we hope you'll take a few moments to celebrate what feels like a return to sanity, decency, and a commitment to the principles of engaged citizenship and good governance.

South Hadley's turnout was approximately 60%. Thanks to the efficient work of South Hadley's Town Clerk's office, the many poll volunteers, and our Board of Registrars, you can view the unofficial results of South Hadley's election online.

• South Hadley Election-Unofficial Results:
  www.southhadley.org/186/Election-Results

• South Hadley Precinct Map:
  www.southhadley.org/DocumentCenter/View/8925/New-Precincts

Following is a table comparing our Town's results to that of Massachusetts as a whole.

• Comparison of 2026 South Hadley & Statewide Results

The Secretary of the Commonwealth's Election Division has an online, searchable database of state historical election results. Please note that official data for the 2026 election won't be available until all results are certified, which can take some time.

• Massachusetts Election Results Archives:
  electionstats.state.ma.us

20 Million More Gallons a Day from Quabbin?

Photo by Ed Comeau | quabbinequity.org/20-million-gallons-more

As towns around the Quabbin struggled over the last year with a water ban and the rising costs for stewardship of the watershed for a resource they can't use, local officials sought compensation, cooperation, equity, and representation from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) earlier this summer.

 

In August, the MA Water Resources Commission (WRC) accepted an application submitted to the MWRA in February to pull an additional 20 million more gallons each day from the already-low Quabbin despite the effects of the drought. Some 200 million gallons a day are presently pumped to Boston and surrounding communities. A hearing on the proposal was held September 30 at Belchertown Town Hall, where a room full of area residents and leaders still waiting for equity had plenty to say about the request for more water and the lack of specifics about where it would go. 

SUBMIT COMMENTS BY 5:00PM on WED, OCTOBER 28 TO:

Vandana Rao, Chair, Water Resources Commission <Vandana.Rao@mass.gov>
Sec. Rebecca Tepper, MA EOEEA <rebecca.l.tepper@mass.gov>

The additional loss of water affects communities throughout the larger Connecticut River watershed. See our latest newsletter for a statement from Connecticut River Conservancy and other information. 

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Issue 105-Quabbin Water
  

October: A Month of Awareness

In our latest newsletter, writer Jim Bosman takes a look at five causes that mark October as a month of action, advocacy, and awareness. The causes that share our attention this month are central to how we are able to live our lives. As we consider our votes in the November 3, 2026 election, it's also worth remembering that political winds affect worthy efforts like these as well as each of us. 

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Five October Causes-Issue 104
  

GOTV-Get Out the Vote!

Our latest newsletter comes on the eve of two important vote-related events on Saturday, October 17, 2026: 

1. October is the first day of in-person early voting. South Hadley can vote in person tomorrow from 9am to 3pm at the Town Clerk's office in Town Hall, and at other times through October 26. (For details, see: www.southhadley.org/elections)
   

2. The fourth national No Kings Day on October 17, centered on Get Out the Vote (GOTV) outreach, will include South Hadley's non-partisan mobilization standout from 10am to 12pm on the Village Commons, near the Post Office.

As noted in this edition of our Updates newsletter, turnout in primaries is often less than half the electorate, but this primary will help determine much of our collective history going forward. Those of us who sit out the election essentially are turning over our personal and communities' fates to others who may or may not share our values and hopes for the future. Vote early if you can, and make sure those you care about vote as well.

• SHDTC Updates: Issue 103-GOTV
  

Upcoming Events

SHDTC Business Meeting: Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 6:30pm in the South Hadley Library Trustee's Conference Room. SHDTC meetings are normally held on third Thursdays and are hybrid-online; participants may attend in-person in the Trustees Room at the Library or online via Zoom. To obtain a Zoom meeting link, to join our mailing list, or for other information about SHDTC, please email: southhadleydemocrats@gmail.com.

SHDTC First Friday Breakfast Gatherings: Friday, November 6 and December 4, 2026 at 8:30am, Gaylord Library, 47 Newton Street, South Hadley. Conversation is casual, there is no set agenda, just a chance to talk about local, national, and international affairs and join in community with others, Democrat or not. Coffee and light snacks available (donations appreciated), and all are welcome. 

Indivisible Standout: Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 12pm at the South Hadley Town Commons (near the Post Office). GOTV and Vote Early! Details.

November 3, 2026 State Election: All precincts vote at South Hadley High School; polls are open from 7:00am to 8:00pm. Mail-in ballots have gone out and early in-person voting begins Saturday, October 17 at the Town Clerk's office. For election and voting details, see: www.southhadley.org/elections and VoteInMa.com.

Celebrating 100 issues of Updates (and counting!)

 

Illustration from SHDTC Updates Issue 16
October 31, 2022 | The Halloween Party

Our communications subcommittee has put together a special issue to recognize the contributors and readers of our periodic Updates, launched in 2022 as a resource for keeping area Democrats and others apprised of political issues and events that affect our communities. Our 100th Update was published a couple of weeks ago on some of the ballot questions facing MA voters this fall. This "Commemorative Issue" marks the occasion and thanks all who've contributed content and feedback in support of the Updates mission: Being the Voice of Fairness, Democracy, and the Future.

Updates newsletters have been part of SHDTC's work, but only a part, as various SHDTC subcommittees have supported everything from local charitable work on such issues as food insecurity to advocacy around environmental causes, human rights, and fair elections and governance. The newsletters have also helped to feed and support other SHDTC communications venues, including our website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

As we head into the future, we are experimenting with new communication strategies, including a Substack. As always, we invite suggested topics and contributions from our members, friends, and the general public. As this newsletter states: "[T]he arguments we have about our founding ideals are themselves the heart of self-government."

Again, many thanks to our readers and contributors thus far, and best wishes for a good Indigenous Peoples' Day. Issue 62 from November 18, 2024, penned by SHDTC member Christie Reardon, points to the obstacles Native Americans continue to have around voting rights.

Q3: A "Jungle Primary" for Massachusetts?

Our latest newsletter features a Letter to the Editor by SHDTC friend Lee Harrison, originally published in the Berkshire Eagle and advocating against Ballot Question 3, which would move our state to a top-two vote-getter primary system--a move supported primarily by large corporate donors and wealthy individuals. Only two other states in the nation have fully implemented this primary system, and the results have often led to less rather than greater democracy in their elections.

The SHDTC hasn't taken an official position on this question, but in a recent survey of SHDTC members, 86.4% said they'd be voting no on this question. A recent article posted by the group "Act on Mass" also has a related article on Question 3 that you might find of interest.

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Issue 102-No on Ballot Question 3
• ACT on MASS: Bad for Democracy, Funded by Private Equity

Focus on the Nine Ballot Questions

People in our area may begin seeing vote-by-mail ballots at their homes in just a couple of weeks, ahead even of early in-person voting that begins October 17. On the ballot there will be nine questions to be decided by voters in the upcoming November 3, 2026 state election.Hence, we've gathered some information and insights from various sources about the issues that might be of interest to our readers. None of the statements in the newsletters, however, represent official endorsement by our SHDTC.

 

For the full text of all ballot questions, see the Voter Guide:
ma.omniballot.us/sites/25/vg/app/vig/voter-guide/info

Updates newsletter Issue 99 focuses on Ballot Questions 1, 2, and 3 and is the first in a series of extended newsletters on the nine questions. Issue 100 looks at Ballot Questions 3, 4, 5  followed by Issue 101 on Ballot Questions 6, 7, 8.

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Issue 99-Ballot Questions 1, 2, 3
  

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Issue 100-Ballot Questions 4, 5, 6

 

• SHDTC Updates Newsletter: Issue 101-Ballot Questions 7, 8, 9