Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Probate Fever (UPDATED!)

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Also, Secretary Galvin, how’s about you STFU?

Galvin said he would like to see the Democratic Party choose a nominee sooner than Wednesday so he can begin printing the ballots for the November election and deliver them to clerks early.

“I have taken great pains to urge the Democratic Party to do this promptly,” Galvin said. “With all due respect to the august office of the probate, I don’t want this to interfere with people’s ability to vote.”

This whole process, including calling town and city caucuses to elect the delegates to go to the big caucus, had little over a week to scramble and get this done, in the most populous county in the state. With all due respect, sir, how do you expect up to 600 delegates to be chosen and then a caucus held in less than a week? Really, honestly, how smart do you have to be to get elected, anyway? Oh, right.

Update: forgot to mention the important part of the article. The big caucus is set to be next Wednesday, Sept. 24, in Waltham. The Sun doesn’t say what time (nor do the Dem or SecState websites). So if you want to stand to be a delegate make sure you keep that in mind! Our [Lowell] caucus to select delegates will be held (all wards) at the East End Club, 15 W. 4th St., Monday Sept 22 at 7pm.

UPDATE II: Thanks to sco, I have the following info to update people:

Only full ward/town committee members (not associate members) are the ones who are eligible to be elected to become a delegate (and the only ones who can vote on delegates).

IF your ward/town has open seats, AND the chair calls a meeting before the meeting, so to speak, there MAY be a procedure for you to become a full member of your ward or town committee. Please check with your town/ward chair. Proper paperwork must be filed as well.

The Middlesex-wide caucus will be held on Wednesday, September 24th, 6:30PM at the Waltham High School, 617 Lexington St. There is no news yet so far as I know as to Buonomo’s withdrawal from the race – he has until Monday, 5pm to do so.

It appears that no alternate delegates are to be elected.

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Comments

  1. I wonder where the Sun heard that it was going to be in Waltham?  I’ve been trying to find that out and last I’d heard it was TBA.  Does anyone know where in Waltham?  Thanks.

  2. Jack Connolly, chair of the Somerville Ward 6 Democratic Committee, told me that the Wednesday 9/24 caucus is at 6:30 pm at Waltham High School.

  3. I’m curious: Who’s eligible to be a delegate?

    <

    p>Is it just any random person (who’s registered to vote in the appropriate place, of course), or do you already have to be on something like a Ward Committee?

    • Just members of ward and town committees can be delegates to this caucus.  They also can’t be associate members, but must be full or elected members, as I understand it.

      • I believe there is a category of ward and town committee members who are on the committees for life after having served for more than N years.  (I don’t remember what N is.)  These do not count against the total number of elected members allowed.  Do they count as members for this purpose?

            • I thought any member of the Democratic State Committee was automatically a member of his/her ward or town committee.

              • sco, all DSC members are ex officio members of their respective town and ward committees.  In your community this would include your Governor’s Councillor, for example.  They are not ex officio delegates, but they can vote at your meeting to elect delegates and can serve as delegate, if elected.

      • I think this is the relevant section…

        <

        p>”Each ward and town committee in the wards and towns compromising such a district within the limits of more than one municipality shall, as occasions arise, choose from its members delegates to fill vacancies as hereinbefore provided, in such manner as it may determine by its rules and regulations, to a number not exceeding one for each five hundred votes, or fraction thereof, cast in its ward or town for the candidate of the party for governor at the last state election, and shall forthwith notify the state secretary of the delegates so chosen..”

    • It’s my understanding that anyone who’s a Dem in that ward or town is eligible to be elected as a delegate. The ward committee, as I understand it, get to vote on who to send?

      <

      p>Ah, yes, here’s the relevant passages from sco’s post:

      <

      p>

      How are these delegates chosen and how do they come to their decision? On that, the law is generally silent, so the Democratic Party rules for caucuses apply. Now, not all provisions for those caucuses can be enforced — particularly the requirement about giving proper notice. Here are the important points:

         * Anyone registered with the Democratic party as of Dec 31st, 2007 was eligible to serve as a delegate to the caucus, but only members of the Democratic Town Committee could vote on who would become a delegate
         * Delegates selected by committees must be gender balanced
         * The selection of delegates must be done within the jurisdiction of the Town/Ward
         * 10% of eligible delegates at the caucus constitutes a quorum
         * Ballotting at the caucus continues until one candidate gets 50% of the vote plus one
         * The caucus is subject to the open meeting law

      • He’s referencing the past of what happened with his district when they went through this for another election (so therefore, the date registered by is old).

  5. I called Secretary Galvin’s office to ask whether any candidate had received enough votes to be the Working Families Party nominee.  (To my knowledge, only Sean O’Donovan sought such votes.)   The Secretary’s office told me that they cannot release any official results until Monday.

    <

    p>Also, John Buonomo still has not withdrawn, as of 11 am today.  He has until 5 pm on Monday to do so.

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