Blue Mass Group

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From county caucus to permanent organization?

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I was just wondering what the interest or feasibility would be of using the upcoming Middlesex Probate Caucus as a launching pad for something more permanent.  There was a comment in another thread about having Obama and Kerry people show up to rally the troops, which is great, but I was thinking beyond even that.  I believe a couple of our counties have County Democratic Committees and in some states county committees are part of the official party structure.  I would love to see this discussed after our official business is concluded Wednesday night and am certainly happy to help get such a group started.  We can even get a discussion going here.  I personally am likely to attend the caucus to observe even if I do not get elected delegate.

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  1. I think a county democratic organization of some variety could be a really useful development.

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    p>I would be 100% willing to moderate a listserv/yahoo or google site for Middlesex County.

    • Abolishing Middlesex County government was a truly good government move.  Any step backward from that would be a huge mistake, IMHO.

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      p>I assume pablo was kidding, but just in case.

      • The following Massachusetts counties still have governments:

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        p>Bristol, Barnstable, Dukes, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth

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        p>The following do not:

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        p>Berkshire, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Suffolk, Worcester

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        p>What’s up with Southeast Massachusetts?  The rest of us have abolished our counties, why do you still need yours?  Nantucket is particularly strange, why do you need two governments, one for the town, one for the county, when they cover the exact some jurisdiction?

        • At the moment even the counties that don’t exist still elect officials.  In Middlesex we elect our District Attorney, Register of Probate, Clerk of Courts, Registers of Deeds, and High Sheriff (others I’m missing?).  I actually think counties are very logical and appropriate judicial and administrative divisions, though we could probably combine Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket.  While we’re at it let’s shift Brookline into Suffolk and Cohasset into Plymouth.  Regardless, I think a county committee would be useful.

        • Aren’t these two governments actually one and the same, just like the City and County of San Francisco?

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          p>And I think Dukes and Barnstable counties make sense as geographic units.  If there was no Dukes county, someone would have to create a similar structure to oversee the common interests of Martha’s Vineyard six towns.

          • but they share a lot of resources.

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            p>The town website lists both Selectmen and County Commissioners.  Four out of the five board members are the same and they have the same administrative assistant, but if you look at the agendas of their meetings, they discuss different business.

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            p>This actually reminds a bit of my Church, which is also a centuries old New England institution.  When we called our new minister, we had to first have a vote as First Parish in Cambridge to recommend the minster to the Church and then have another vote as First Church in Cambridge to accept the recommendation of the Parish.  (The same people voted both times.)

  3. Sorry if this has been asked / answered already (lots of details to keep track of), but does a candidate need to get the most (plurality) or a majority of delegate votes at the country caucus in order to get the nomination?

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    p>The answer to that would have some bearing on how late “after our official business is concluded” actually is.

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