We are inviting public officials from the Patrick administration and the Legislature to listen to the ideas community organizers heard at the doors, on the phone banks, through listserves, and in member meetings, as well as an analysis of the polls and focus groups performed in preparation for Question One.
Add your voice in our mission to advocate for a fair, adequate and stable revenue structure and budget for our Commonwealth.
And yes, we know that we will likely find ourselves competing with each other as we advocate that our programs are the most “sympathetic and compelling,” but at least we are working together to build a foundation of good information and smart strategies!
The tuition for the session is $20 and includes a light supper and take-home materials.
Besides the Budget Punch lists, we will have a freshly-printed second edition of the Real Clout Book and Real Clout Workbook available at cost.
Please contact Carmen Arce-Bowen at (617) 275-2833 or carmen [at] realclout.org to RSVP for this event, or with any questions! Seating is limited – RSVP ASAP!
SPECIAL GUESTS
Polling and Focus Group Organizers • Coalition for Our Communities – Jo Blum, Harris Gruman • ONE Massachusetts, Education Voters – Yawu Miller, Michael Fogelberg
Community Organizers • Coalition for Social Justice – Deb Fastino • Mass Affordable Housing Alliance – Cortina Vann • Massachusetts ACORN – Mimi Ramos • Massachusetts Senior Action Council – Carolyn Viller, Community Members • Chelsea Collaborative – Gladys Vega, Carmen Arce-Bowen
Networks and Membership Organizations • Massachusetts Nonprofit Network – David Magnani • Mass Advocates for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities – Dan Hunter
Public Officials • Massachusetts Executive Office of Administration and Finance – Ronald Marlow • Massachusetts House of Representatives – Denise Provost, Byron Rushing • Massachusetts Senate – Laura Booth, Office of Senator Anthony Gallucio, others unconfimed.
We have learned that when we as citizens of the Commonwealth don’t stand up to Beacon Hill they will continue to treat us like the ATM they think we are.
AND more civil servants!
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p>Gazebos for everybody! God bless us, every one!
One of the critical issues is rebuilding trust in government – but for THAT to happen, those who govern will need to re-earn that trust by:
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p>1. Maintaining high ethical standards.
2. Returning to transparency in government such as full cable access for all sessions and committee hearings, and truly “posting” committee and commission meetins where ordinary folk can find out about them, such as in both the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald, and online in a timely manner.
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p>3. Putting the core needs of citizens ahead of plum perks for the most powerful legislators. Some of those core needs are safe bridges, regular maintenance of state-owned roads, access to educational loans for state institutions of higher education, maintenance of safe infrastructure at state institutions of higher education [the condemnation of the parking structure at UMASS Boston, for example is a shame, a disgrace, and undermines any confidence in governance], dependable and reliable access to justice & the courts iun a timely, unbiased and even-handed manner, a new “clean elections” law which is fully funded and opens access to elective office to members of all parties and those of modest means who do not come from either machines or great personal wealth, adequate affordable housing for those who are employed [not only housing for those receiving aid and those of means – but for the vast number of citizens who earn the average wage, or below].
The word in the lengthy prior comment’s title should be “conflict” but given current events, maybe a malaprop of “convict” is understandable and an attention grabber.